Ahead of his piano recital this Friday at the Rialto Theatre, we sat down with Yiannis Georgiou to discuss the popularity of classical music and the driving forces behind its presence in Cyprus

Virtuoso pianist Yiannis Georgiou will this week perform a repertoire of major works by the great composers Schumann, Brahms and Rachmaninoff. On Friday, Georgiou is set to take audiences on a journey through a selection of profound and stirring works in the classical music sphere, opening with Schumann’s Kreisleriana, Op. 16

“Kreisleriana is one of the most magical cycles of music that exists,” Georgiou says. “It is like one story made up of different fairy tales. It is just an amazing journey. At its completion one feels very emotional.”

But that will not be the only compositions he will perform in a couple of days: “The late piano compositions by Brahms, not just the set that I will be playing, I am always drawn to. And I can hardly ever resist playing Rachmaninoff, his colours, his ideas, his sentiment.”

Even the act of creating a performance’s repertoire and selecting the pieces is a carefully curated task, hw says. “Creating a programme is like making a creative puzzle. Seeing what fits with what, what contrasts with what, thinking of the balance of the programme, its form, the introduction, the climaxes, the whole journey. You want to give the audience a good time.”

Undoubtedly, Friday will be an evening of remarkable music performed at the hands of a musician who is considered to be one of today’s foremost pianists in Cyprus. Beyond the rich repertoire at Rialto Theatre, Georgiou looks forward to the mere act of performing and sharing music.

“I am looking forward to all the music making,” he says. “Having said that, it is always the case that there is never enough time to do all the things you want to do. You always want to keep improving things. But when you get up there you have to make music.”

And in Cyprus, there are, thankfully, several artists and organisations that are dedicated to making music. In the field of the island’s classical music, Georgiou notes the grand efforts made by the Pharos Arts Foundation that presents a regular programme of high-caliber artists. He also acknowledges the work of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra saying that “symphonic music is a real need”.

Yet developing a rich and vibrant classical music scene does not only fall on the organisers and musicians but the public’s interest and appreciation as well. What does he wish audiences understood about classical music?

“I wish that they listened to more of it,” he says. “On their car radios, at home and live of course. That’s all. Once they start that journey of exploration, based on taste, then it can become infinite, and they will become hooked and see its value. A playlist of popular classics on Spotify for a couple of weeks would just do it. It is not elitist. It saddens me that they do not know that.

“How would I like them to feel attending one of my concerts?” he concludes. “Well, it sounds like a tall order, but I would like them to feel that they have experienced some magic.”

Yiannis Georgiou Piano Recital

Piano recital performing Schumann, Brahms and Rachmaninoff. January 31. Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 8.30pm. €20. www.rialto.com.cy. Tel: 7777-7745