Traditional music
The Cypriot musical tradition has its roots in the Byzantine era and is part of the cultural continuity of ancient Greece. Also, it cultivates a slight oriental accent by using the Turkish melodic scale and by impregnating itself with influences from the surrounding Arab countries. Essentially supports dances - the tatsia, the sousta, the syrtos, the ballos, the zeibekiko, the karotseris, the sinalik, the chiftetteli or the arabiye -, most of the traditional music is played with the same instrumental base: vlos (a reed flute), kasat (small cymbals), laouto (long lute), ut (short lute) or zurna (a kind of oboe of Turkish origin). On the whole, Cypriot traditional music has a false air of nisiotika
, these songs of the Aegean and Dodecanese islands, with tender melodies and carried by a very soft pulse. Still very popular, traditional Cypriot music is kept alive by a host of artists, some of whom are real stars. This is notably the case of Michalis Tterlikkas who still performs a lot or, in the same vein, Christos Sikkis with a particularly prolific career. That said, the most famous Cypriot musician is without question Mihalis Violaris. A star even outside its borders, Violaris has popularized in Greece the traditional songs sung in Cypriot dialect, such as Ta Ryalia, a great Greek hit of the 1970s. He was a pioneer in combining traditional Cypriot music with other genres, and paved the way for many other musicians such as Mr. Doumani. A local success (and increasingly international), the three members of the group strive to give a modern interpretation to Cypriot popular songs and to bring together sounds from all over the world with the musical traditions of the country.Where to listen to traditional music?
Taverns are favourite places to listen to traditional music in Cyprus. If they are all the same, Polychoros 77 stands out. This tavern, run by a former singer, offers a rather unremarkable cuisine (it must be admitted) but makes up for it with very good traditional groups almost every night. Of course, folk music also enchants religious festivals, such as Kataklysmos, which coincides with Pentecost and is celebrated in the coastal towns - especially in Larnaka - with boat parades, fireworks, dances and lots of folk music. Thelatter is also present in absolutely every festival, such as the LimassolWine Festival, a very (very) festive event
Classical music
Although no Cypriot woman has really marked the history of the genre, Cyprus today cultivates a rich and dynamic classical music scene. The country has a symphony orchestra - with a good local reputation and some international guest conductors - as well as its Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra, a music school that trains the country's future prodigies. Tomorrow's talents will be added to the already well-stocked ranks of good Cypriot musicians such as pianists Cyprien Katsaris (Franco-Cypriot), Martino Tirimo and above all the prodigy, who died prematurely in a car accident, Nicolas Economou.
Among the best known composers are Marios Joannou Elia (Yannis Kyriakides), the author of a symphony for 265 musicians, the very avant-garde Yannis Kyriakides (1969-), Solon Michaelides (1905-1979), much played in Greece, Andys Skordis (1983-), a popular name in contemporary music, and Christina Athinodorou, one of the new national talents. Like most of the major performances in Nicosia, the symphony concerts take place at the Municipal Theatre of Strovolos. There are also operas performed by the city's opera company, Opera Nicosia.The rock
This can be seen by turning on the TV or the radio: Cypriots love rock! The genre has a history in the country where, from the end of the war in 1974, a very active scene was set up. The pioneers are called Kimstyle TR and have long been considered outrageous - the authorities going so far as to burn their CDs. They paved the way for many bands, often very much focused on the extremes of rock and metal. Among the most famous are Armageddon, very heavy metal, and still on stage forty years after its formation in the 1980s, and, more recently, Methysos or Winter's Verge. For rock fans passing through Nicosia, one of the most suitable stages (and one of the only ones in town) is Downtown Live.
The dance
Like Cypriot culture in the broadest sense, the repertoire of traditional dances has adopted and adapted many elements from Greece and Asia Minor. There are many dances that call for skill and virtuosity, often employing an object and involving a great deal of improvisation. This last aspect is perhaps one of the most striking features of traditional Cypriot dance, with the dialogue side, the effect of responses between dancers. The most common dance for both men and women is the one performed in couples fighting each other, the karsilamas. Among the most common is also the sousta, holding a certain erotic charge and performed in couples or in rows of men and women facing each other. Typically Cypriot, the tatsia is an exercise of skill in which the dancer must swirl a sieve containing half-full glasses of wine around him. Quite impressive. Syrtos, of Greek origin, has the Cypriot specificity of being danced exclusively by women. Derived from syrtos, the ballos is a male dance intermingled with an often sad song. Also of Greek origin, the zeimbekiko is an ancient dance, exclusively male and including many improvisations and acrobatics. Theantikristos, also of Greek origin, is danced face-to-face. Of Romanian origin this time, the karotséris is a fast dance performed alone, in couple or in group and is somewhat similar to the sousta. Also worth mentioning is the mantra, also known as the "dance of goodbye", as it is often performed by the dancers before leaving the stage.
Where can we see these dances?
Just like traditional music, festivals are privileged moments to enjoy Cypriot dances. The Agia Napa Festival is held every year in September and is devoted to folklore as a whole, and the Kyrenia Olive Festival, which, in addition to offering olive tasting, offers a wide range of folklore performances
