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«T
he Festival had an impressively interna-
tional outlook and provided a rare op-
portunity to sample contemporary composition
beyond the well-trodden paths.»
Tim Rutherford-Johnson (
Guardian
,
Tempo, The
Rambler
)
Having established itself as one of themost cutting-
edge and innovative annual events in the Eastern
Mediterranean, the International Pharos Contem-
poraryMusic Festival is now in its fourth year. The
Festival is dedicated to the promotion of new mu-
sic, both the established masterpieces of the con-
temporary music literature of the 20
th
century and a
great number of premieres by leading young com-
posers fromall over the worldwho have been com-
missioned by the Pharos Arts Foundation to write
new works especially for the Festival. The Festival
provides a forum for composers and performers
to advance and develop new projects and explore
newworlds of sound in chamber music settings. Its
other objective is to bring contemporary music to
general audiences in Cyprus and elsewhere, as this
is the music of our times – it is directly linked to
many forms of visual and creative arts, and science.
It is intimate with the modern human spirit.
The 4
th
International Pharos Contemporary Music
Festival was a thrilling experience. It presented a
number of exciting events, from 9 until 29 Sep-
tember 2012, including a seldom heard repertoire
for strings, winds, voice, percussion and harp. Six
of the finest contemporary ensembles in the world
presented classical contemporary masterpieces
by composers such as Schönberg, Stockhausen,
Xenakis and Ligeti while joining forces with more
than 20 young, internationally acclaimed compos-
ers from all over the world. Each of these compos-
ers wrote a newly-commissioned work that was
given its world premiere during the Festival.
There were concerts by the Arirang Wind Quintet
& Marios Nicolaou/percussion; Quartetto Prom-
eteo; The Nieuw Ensemble; Ensemble Aleph; El
Perro Andaluz, and the Kairos String Quartet. A
screening of
Towards of Beyond
was offered, and
the Kairo String Quartet and El Perro Andaluz
hosted workshops.
The Venues
The Shoe Factory is situated in Old Nicosia, near
the UN buffer zone. With the Shoe Factory, the
Pharos Arts Foundation is revitalising this beauti-
ful and historic section of the capital by attracting
a wide and diverse younger audience. All concerts
at the Shoe Factory are characterised by a unique
intimacy, and the music is performed in an excep-
tionally inspiring setting. The Shoe Factory is a
modern venue decorated with contemporary art by
mainly local artists and offers audiences the unique
opportunity to sit within an amazing proximity to
world famous artists and experience performances
in a space like no other.
4
th
International Pharos Contemporary Music Festival
9 – 29 September 2012