Live at a venue near you
(archive article – Cyprus Mail, Sunday, April 4, 2004)

Forget Cyprus’ reputation as a cultural backwater, there is something for everyone this summer

By Eleni Antoniou

SO, will it be Luciano Pavarotti or Elton John? Or shall we go heavy – a night with the Scorpions or Deep Purple? A full-scale opera… Rigoletto perhaps? Am I am flicking through my CD collection or browsing London Time Out? No. This is Cyprus. Live. This spring and summer. At a venue near you.

A decade ago, it would have been unthinkable. Concerts in Cyprus either meant the annual summer roadshow of artists from Greece, or a backwater classical ensemble of dubious standard. In recent years we have been a little bit more spoiled with the occasional big name concert to get excited about. But all at once? Never.

As if to prove that our accession to Europe is real, the European big time has come to our little homeland in the furthest corner of the Med. But not only is this a big present for all Cypriots, it’s a huge boost for the island’s international profile.

“We are letting other countries know, and realising ourselves, that Cyprus can make things happen too,” said Koullitsa Demetriou, Tourist Officer at the Cyprus Tourism Organisation.

“We are also contributing to the upgrade of Cyprus.” Indeed, events such as these are a huge boost to the island’s image as a quality destination. Already over past years, the Paphos Aphrodite Festival (this year putting on Verdi’s Rigoletto) has attracted large amounts of high spending tourists for its annual outdoor opera extravaganza.

Talking of opera, Luciano Pavarotti is opera. No one singer has done more than the legendary Italian tenor to take opera out of the rarefied ghetto where it had taken refuge and return it to the people for whom it was first written.

All those years ago when you watched ‘Pavarotti in the Park’, that famous televised concert with the Prince and Princess of Wales in London’s Hyde Park, could you have imagined ‘Pavarotti in the Moat’ – the d’Avila Moat in our own little capital of Nicosia? Yet here it is, on…

And not only Pavarotti in the Moat, but Elton John in the Moat, the giant of pop performing in Nicosia just days before the giant of the opera, in a concert to celebrate Cyprus’ EU accession.
Concert promoters said Elton John would be flying in specially for the concert, and will be back on the plane the moment he comes off stage to squeeze us into his busy global schedule. And they urged punters to book their tickets fast – on sale since April 1 – with top seats going for £70 and others at £50 and £35.

Tickets are available from the Patticheion in Limassol, Municipal Theatre in Larnaca and at Dias Publishing House in Nicosia.

Elton John will come hard on the heels of a timeless band, The Scorpions, performing at Nicosia’ GSP stadium. And they too will be sending out a message heavy with symbolism with their unforgettable song Wind of change, originally performed alongside Pink Floyd marking the first cracks in the Iron Curtain, now performed as a dedication to the upheaval that Cyprus is going through.

“The fees were very high to get someone like Scorpions,” said Helen Katsambas, manager of Moonlight Productions, which is bringing the Scorpions, together with End Records. “It took a year of very hard persuading but we eventually got them despite their heavy schedule,” she said.
Famous in the 70s, 80s and 90s, the Scorpions will be a magnet for all generations. The rock nostalgics may opt for the luxury of the 6,000 VIP section tickets. “But the younger generation will want to be down in the stadium, in front of the stage,” said Katsambas, adding, “security will be very tight”.

Rolled into one packet, not only will the Scorpions be giving a news conference, but there will also be a nomination of all the band’s albums as they go double gold, while their performance will be just days after their new album Unbreakable comes out.

Away from the capital, rock fans are being promised Deep Purple in Limassol towards the end of June, beginning of July, while Larnaca will be hosting the hit musical Grease on July 2 and 3. And with Paphos putting on Rigoletto in September, the whole island will be getting a quite phenomenal dose of entertainment.

And don’t let anyone say Cyprus is cultural backwater any more.

THIS summer, Cyprus will be blessed with many idolised acts from the entertainment business. As if they needed introduction, here’s to remind you just exactly what you’re in for:

Elton John shot to fame in 1970 with his first UK hit ‘Your Song’ and went on to become the most famous rock and roll star of all time. The eccentric singer and songwriter will be performing hits such as ‘I’m Still Standing’, ‘Rocket Man’ and ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ in Nicosia on May 30.

After a 43-year career, Luciano Pavarotti gave his last performance at the Metropolitan Opera earlier this year, but continues giving concerts. The tenor, who performed in front of half a million people in 1993 at the Great Lawn of New York’s Central Park, has had continuous best selling recordings and numerous sold out arena concerts. His performance at Hyde Park in London, including Princess Diana and Prince Charles, was televised and was the first classical music concert of the park.

Germany’s most successful rock band, the Scorpions are making an appearance on May 28 at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia. The famous group, who have performed in front of 60,000 fans at New York’s Madison Square Garden, have wowed audiences with their best ever albums Love Drive and Virgin Killer, which earned them the title of LP of the year in 1976.

One of the acts that are definitely going to attract all ages is the rock concert with Deep Purple some time at the end of June, beginning of July. Deep Purple, whose music was described in the 1960s and 1970s as “underground” and “progressive”, have been baptised as the leaders of Hard Rock and have been admired for generations. With over 100 million albums sold, they have played in Moscow, Toronto, Sydney and now, for the first time, they are honouring us with a performance at the Tsireion Stadium in Limassol.

Concerts are not the only events of this spectacular summer: the musical Grease performed by London’s West End will make its appearance twice at Larnaca Patticheion Municipal Theatre on July 2 and 3. The musical has been a sell-out success in London, and is now unbelievably booked to add a touch of American spice to Cyprus.

For those who missed one of the most beautiful experiences of the opera in 1999, there is an opportunity to rectify their mistake this summer. The opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi with the National Opera of Poland will be taking place in September in the open air, in front of the Mediaeval Castle in Paphos. Sung in Italian and loved by all, with arias such as “La donna e mobile” and “Caro nome”, Verdi mixes tragedy, vengeance and disaster in Rigoletto, which is also one of his richest melodies.