Cyprus, First Impressions
Cyprus: First Impressions is a sonic scrapbook of composer Carol Barnett’s trip to Cyprus in the fall of 1999, and an affectionate homage to Theofanis G. Stavrou, Russian history professor and director of the Modern Greek Studies Program at the University of Minnesota. Liberally laced with elements of Cypriot folk song, Barnett’s music mirrors the moods evoked by its various literary influences–love for a favorite aunt, the joy of setting out on a journey, loneliness and the loss of friends, and the deep and intractable divisions of the island.
The title work, for alto flute and strings, is a collage of Nicosia street sounds: ice-cream vendors, muezzin calls from the minarets, the ubiquitous Cypriot wedding song. A book of descriptive sketches by Cypriot author George Philippou Pierides is the inspiration for the three-movement flute/cello/piano trio Vignettes, After Pierides. Ithaka, for baritone and guitar, is a setting of Constantine Cavafy’s poem of the same name. With a poem by modern Greek poet George Seferis, it also serves as the inspiration for Mythical Journeys, for flute and guitar. Fantasies on four Greek Cypriot folk songs comprise the Cyprian Suite for concert band. Performers include members of the Minnesota Orchestra, the University of Minnesota Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and some of the best freelance musicians in the Twin Cities. Barnett teaches composition at Augsburg College in Minneapolis.
