Orchestra duo face the music
A GREEK Cypriot MP has sparked demands for players with the South’s Cyprus Symphony Orchestra (CySO) to face the music after agreeing to perform at two Bellapais Abbey concerts as part of the 16th International North Cyprus Music Festival.
Deputies in the South are calling for disciplinary measures or even dismissal of the musicians.
Autumn festival organiser Halil Kalgay, of the North Cyprus Music Association, said: “I am very upset and sorry to say that I received a long email from Cyprus Symphony Orchestra artistic director Wolfgang Schroeder.
“He and first violinist Jens Bachmann apologised for the fact that, despite being Germans, they were no longer able to perform their joint piano and violin recital at the abbey on October 8.
“The Papageorgio Quartet also contacted me with a vague excuse. I would prefer that they gave me a solid reason and will, if necessary, announce a technical cancellation next week.”
The quartet, some of whom are also CySO musicians, are a regular feature at North Cyprus music festivals and were due to perform with violinist Nicos Pittas at Bellapais on November 6.
Mr Kalgay added: “A Turkish performance of a ballet based on Zorba the Greek in Girne is already causing a stir in the South but Ankara State Ballet and Opera really are the best and the Zorba ballet has played in 35 countries. We are not political, we have a very full programme this year and it will still be a very good season.”
Nationalist social-democrat Edek MP Costis Eftstathiou reported the musicians to the Greek Cypriot House watchdog committee after spotting a poster for the 17-concert September 21-toNovember 16 festival.
Mr Eftstathiou was reported to have tweeted the festival poster
after circling photos of Mr Schroeder and Mr Bachmann and other state musicians with the comment: “At the Bellapais Abbey, where civilians, prisoners of war were slaughtered in 1974, the pseudo-state is organising music festivals in which, unfortunately, Greek Cypriot members of the Symphony Orchestra participate, but also the artistic director and the first violinist of German extraction. Oh joy.”
The musicians will now face the orchestra board, it was reported.
Kani Kanol, Turkish Cypriot representative on the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Culture, set up by the island’s two leaders, said: “Unfortunately this kind of action will not help our future cooperation and collaboration.
“With no start to negotiations for a solution, it seems that it will continue.
“Our committee has held no official meetings for almost a year but we still talk unofficially and will meet soon.”
He and his colleague Androulla Vassiliou issued a joint statement last year criticising a “dishonourable blame game” caused by similar protests by Edek and other Greek Cypriot political parties which halted annual bicommunal theatre productions at Salamis.