Our projects
← Back
Pafos Aphrodite Festival in Cyprus – 2006 Mariinsky theatre with "Un Ballo in Maschera"
The Pafos Aphrodite Festival – one of the leading European festivals of classical music – was established in 1999. It is an annual event that takes place in the town's Old harbour area where the Medieval castle is situated.
The organizers are the Pafos Aphrodite Festival Company Ltd and its major sponsor is the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Cyprus It is one of the island's main cultural events that attracts audiences both from Cyprus and abroad. People choose to visit Cyprus during this season to have the opportunity to combine a holiday with visiting a cultural event. Through the years the Pafos Aphrodite Festival has managed to be placed amongst the cultural highlights of the European calendar.
Thanks to the joint efforts and encouragement of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Cyprus, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and KOLIZEY production center, the Festival Committee decided to invite the State Academic Mariinsky Opera and Ballet Theatre (former Kirov) for the 2006 Festival. The theatre presented one of its best productions – Verdi's opera "Un Ballo in Maschera". The 3 performances by the world renowned theatre took place on September 1–3, 2006. The sets were adapted to include the Medieval castle that blended harmoniously on the large open-air stage (app 1100 sq. metres) partly constructed over water.
It was unanimously agreed that the production was the best ever presented in Cyprus. The Mariinsky with its long tradition of excellent productions, the internationally acclaimed soloists, the excellent chorus and the 80-member Orchestra was the Festival's crowning glory enthralling the audience that after this experience will be expecting such high caliber productions for the future.
