The Cyprus Symphony Orchestra is proud to collaborate with two internationally renowned artists: the violinist and conductor Thomas Zehetmair, founder of the famous Zehetmair Quartet and former Artistic Director of the Orchester de Chambre de Paris, and the brilliant violinist Ruth Killius – his longtime musical collaborator – who stands out for her emotional intensity of her performances and her rich, refined sound.
The rare musical chemistry and performance artistry of this duo will unfold through Benjamin Britten's emotionally charged Double Concerto in B minor for violin, viola and orchestra. The concerto highlights a fascinating conversation between the soloists and the orchestra, exploring rich textures and dramatic contrasts.
Before the concert, the audience will enjoy the Symphony no. 31 in D major "of Paris" by Mozart, a brilliant and charming work, which the composer wrote for the sophisticated Parisian audience of the 18th century.
The program will be completed by Agreement no. 36 in C major, "of Linz" by the Austrian composer, with its main features being joyful energy and grandeur. It is admirable that Mozart composed it in just four days, following an unexpected invitation he received during his short stay in the city of Leeds.
Limassol: Thursday, November 6, 2025 - Patticheio Municipal Theatre, 8:30 p.m.
Nicosia: Friday 7 November 2025 - Municipal Theater of Nicosia, 20:30
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony no. 31 in D major, K. 297/300a, "of Paris"
Benjamin Britten: Double Concerto in B minor for violin, viola and orchestra (arr.: Colin Matthews)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony no. 36 in C major, K. 425, "of Leeds"
Ruth Killius viola
Thomas Zehetmair violin /conductor
Gold Sponsor: Perestroika (Cyprus) Ltd
Ticket prices:
Zone A: €25 / €18 (reduced)
Zone B: €20 / €15 (reduced)
Zone C: €17 / €12 (reduced)
Beneficiaries of reduced tickets:
Pupils, soldiers, students, pensioners, large families and families of five with identification. Free entry for people with disabilities.
Ticket sales:
Patticheio Municipal Theater of Limassol (Agias Zonis 4, 3027 Limassol, 25 377277):
From the website www.soldouttickets.com.cy, the Theater Box Office: Mon-Fri: 10:00-13:00 & 16:00-19:00, Sat 10:00-13:00 and 2 hours before the start.
Nicosia Municipal Theater (4 Museum Avenue, 1097 Nicosia):
From the website cyso.interticket.com and 1.5 hours before the start.
Information: 22 463144, www.cyso.org.cy
RUTH KILLIUS viola
"Ruth Killius shines in a revelatory performance of Bartók's Viola Concerto."
Ruth Killius' extraordinary ability to use her instrument to bring to life the richness of the viola repertoire, from Classical to contemporary, is unparalleled. Her versatility as a violinist has given the instrument new meaning.
In particular, through her interest and commitment to contemporary music, Ruth Killius, who studied with Ulrich Koch and Kim Kashkashian, succeeded in establishing the viola as an integral part of 21st century music and expanding the instrument's established repertoire. He has participated in numerous world premieres, such as Brian Ferneyhough's String Trio with members of Ensemble Contrechamps of Geneva, as well as Elliott Carter's Oboe Quartet with Heinz Holliger. Holliger composed for her the Double Concerto for violin, viola and small orchestra, commissioned by the Salzburg Festival. The world premiere of John Casken's Double Concerto That Subtle Knot, dedicated to the duo Thomas Zehetmair and Ruth Killius, with the Royal Northern Sinfonia, attracted widespread attention. In spring 2023, the work was released on disc together with Bartók's Viola Concerto for the ECM New Series.
Ruth Killius appears as a soloist on the international music stages with solo and double concerts, as well as as a chamber musician. He has collaborated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic, the Russian National Youth Orchestra, the Sofia Philharmonic, the Musikkollegium Winterthur, the Poznań Philharmonic, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, as well as repeatedly in the concert halls of Gateshead and Clermont-Ferrand. In 2016/17 he was Artist in Residence of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Augsburg.
Together with Thomas Zehetmair, Ruth Killius founded the Zehetmair Quartet in 1994, which today is considered one of the world's leading string quartets. The recording with the String Quartet no. 4 by Hindemith and the String Quartet no. 5 by Bartók was awarded the Diapason d'Or de l'Année. In 2013, the ensemble released a recording dedicated to Beethoven, Bruckner, Hartmann and Holliger.
The duo Thomas Zehetmair and Ruth Killius appears in numerous renowned concert halls around the world. The widely acclaimed album Manto and Madrigals, inspired by Scelsi's Manto for viola and voice, featuring works by Bartók, Holliger, Martinů and others, was released by ECM in March 2011.
For the ECM label, Ruth Killius has recorded CDs of works by Elliott Carter and Isang Yun, along with Heinz Holliger and Thomas Demenga. The recording of Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century conducted by Frans Brüggen for the Glossa label is considered a reference recording. In April 2018, her most recent recording of all of Hindemith's viola sonatas was released by NoMadMusic.
THOMAS ZEHETMAIR Conductor with Violin
"His abilities for extremely subtle dynamic and chromatic nuances, as well as emotional penetration of musical material, make for a happy combination [...]."
Thomas Zehetmair knows how to combine his diverse musical nature like no one else. He enjoys an excellent international reputation not only as a violinist, but also as a conductor and chamber musician.
He has appeared as soloist/conductor with such orchestras as London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, Orchestra Budapest Festival, Hamburg Philharmonic, Mozarteum Orchestra and Castilla y León Symphony Orchestra.
From the artistic season 2019/2020, Zehetmair is principal conductor of the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and from the artistic season 2020/2021 he holds the same position at the Orchester National Auvergne Rhône-Alpes. From May 2022 he is also Principal Conductor of the Irish Chamber Orchestra. From 2012 to 2015 he held this position at the Paris Chamber Orchestra and from 2016 to 2021 at the Musikkollegium Winterthur. From 2002 to 2014, Thomas Zehetmair led the Royal Northern Sinfonia and established it as one of England's leading orchestras. As Honorary Conductor he will continue to maintain close ties with the orchestra in the future. Their highly successful collaboration is captured in a series of recordings. 2023 saw the release of Casken's double concerto That Subtle Knot, recorded with Ruth Killius, which also includes Beethoven's 5th Symphony and Bartok's Viola Concerto.
Thomas Zehetmair has recorded most of the violin repertoire and many of his recordings have been awarded numerous prizes. These include Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Violin Concerto with the WDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Heinz Holliger (Diapason d'Or de l'Année 2009), Paganini's 24 Caprices (German Record Critics Award 2009, Midem Classic Award 2010), the Elgar's Violin Concerto with the Manchester Hallé Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder (Gramophone Award 2010), as well as the Mozart Violin Concertos with the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century conducted by Frans Brüggen, which is considered a benchmark recording.
His most recent recordings include the four Brahms symphonies and Bruckner's 3rd Symphony with the Musikkollegium Winterthur, as well as the six sonatas and partitas for solo violin by J. S. Bach. He has also released several recordings with the Sturkgard Chamber Orchestra. In addition, the duo recording Manto and Madrigals with Ruth Killius was released in 2011 by ECM and features contemporary works for violin and viola.
He is also a founding member of the Zehetmair Quartet, with which he was honored in 2014 with the Paul Hindemith Prize of the city of Hanau for his great musical contribution. For his multifaceted artistic activity, Thomas Zehetmair has won the German Record Critics Award as well as the Karl Böhm Performance Award of the Federal State of Styria, among many other honors. He is also an honorary doctor of the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar and the University of Newcastle.
PROGRAM NOTES
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756, Salzburg – 1791, Vienna)
Agreement no. 31 in D major, K. 297/300a, "of Paris"
In 1778 Mozart arrives in Paris in search of new prospects: patrons-sponsors, orders, visibility. In the heart of the city dominates the Concert Spirituel, one of the first public series of ticketed concerts (founded 1725, in the halls of the Tuileries), which presented music on religious holidays with a large orchestra and varied programs: church works, symphonies and concertos. In this environment Mozart composes the "Paris" Symphony on the spot: a symphony that speaks directly to a large audience, with a bright beginning and a rich palette of colors. A standout is the augmented brass ensemble—pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons, along with horns, trumpets, and drums—that lend a richness of color rare in Mozart's earlier symphonies, with the clarinets adding a warm, "Parisian" glow.
The first movement opens impressively and progresses with a steady pulse, short fanfare and lively exchanges between strings and brass, keeping a balance between solemnity and agility. In the middle part the composer prefers clear, lyrical lines. The phrases are long, the texture light, without any tension or exaggeration. To meet different tastes, Mozart prepared two versions: Andante and Andantino. The first sounds more calm and elegant, while the second has somewhat more warmth and expressiveness.
The finale is pure joy for the listener: continuous movement, rapid dialogue between the instruments and light syncopations. Short pauses and soft transitions build anticipation, before the full orchestra returns with a burst of momentum. Luster maintains moderation while craftsmanship serves enjoyment rather than display.
The reception was warm—especially in the outer parts of the work—and in August Mozart returned with adjustments to the slow movement, as mentioned above, to better suit local taste. The "Paris" Symphony is a portrait of a 22-year-old composer who meets a big city with confidence: he expands the orchestral palette, keeps the speech direct and alive and gives music with grace, clarity and light.
BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913, Lowestoft – 1976, Aldeburgh)
Double Concerto in B minor for violin, viola and orchestra (restoration / completion: Colin Matthews)
Britten composed the Double Concerto in 1932, aged 18. He wrote down the solo parts and the main body of the score and then shelved it; the work was never performed during his lifetime. Decades later, the British composer and scholar Colin Matthews completed it for presentation, working from Britten's manuscripts, filling in only what was missing and maintaining the austere, transparent sonic palette suggested by the sources. It premiered on 15 June 1997 at the Aldeburgh Festival, revealing a work that, although young, already has a clear identity.
At the core of the work is an equal dialogue between violin and viola. Sometimes they move in close imitation, sometimes they exchange phrases through the orchestra and often come together in a warm, unified timbre. The orchestra keeps a low profile: low strings add depth, woodwinds offer bright and dark colors, while percussion subtly interjects for rhythmic thrust — keeping the dialogue between the two soloists firmly in the foreground.
The first part combines lyrical elegance with a subtle, inner tension: long, well-formed phrases unfold over gently shifting harmonies, keeping the interest undiminished. The slow movement is introspective, almost "vocal" in its simplicity; there we already recognize Britten's characteristic language: direct feeling without rhetoric. The finale is dominated by fast interludes and gently syncopated rhythms: energy without show, leading to a clean, decisive close.
Today's performance by Thomas Zehetmair (violin/conductor) and Ruth Killius (viola) serves the work perfectly. Their long collaboration as performers where acuity of hearing and refined sense of balance and pulse are perfectly matched in a concerto based on collaboration rather than competition.
Thus, the Double Concerto wins with clarity and measure: clear textures, immediacy of feeling and drama that take form from line and rhythm. Colin Matthews' careful restoration allows Britten's youthful — but already mature — voice to sound complete today.
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756, Salzburg – 1791, Vienna)
Agreement no. 36 in C major, K. 425, "of Leeds"
The "Leeds" symphony takes its name from the city where it was written and first performed. In October 1783, Mozart was traveling from Salzburg to Vienna with his wife Constanze. A stop at Leeds gave rise to a hastily arranged public concert; without a suitable new work, Mozart composed the symphony within days and conducted the premiere himself in early November. From a need of the moment, music was born with breadth, confidence and impressive clarity.
The symphony opens with an Adagio in C major: broad chords and short harmonic shifts create ritualistic anticipation, before the Allegro spiritoso launches with pure energy. In sonata form, a rhythmic first theme is juxtaposed with a more lyrical second, with a development that is short and sweet, with lively dialogue between strings and wind instruments, after which crystalline logic returns.
The Andante (in F major) moves calmly, with the light swing of the Siciliano dance rhythm (6/8): it is distinguished by the long phrases, the subtle colors of the woodwinds and the flexible backing of the strings.
The Menuetto restores C major with a steady, ritualistic pace, while the Trio thins out the texture and lets the woodwinds speak in a more intimate style.
The Finale (Presto) is fast and clear, with shapes running through the orchestra and gentle accents in the lift that give the beat a pulse. The instrumentation (2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, strings — no clarinet) offers brilliance and transparency: the lift is created by a sense of precision and propulsive energy, not showmanship.
The "Leeds" Symphony presents Mozart in complete command of the symphonic language of classicism: broad architecture, dignified slow introduction and exploitation of timbres without heaviness. The reception in Leeds was warm and the work quickly entered the repertoire. Today it remains an example of pure, luminous symphonic architecture — an inspiration of the moment that evolved into one of Mozart's most complete symphonies.
Dr. Francis Nektarios Gaw
Conductor | Musicologist
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