For the fourth consecutive year, the Honorary Consulate of Brazil in Cyprus and the Pharos Trust present the Brazilian Culture Month, a series of events dedicated to the arts and culture of Brazil. The events, which are organised in collaboration with the Brazilian Embassy in Cyprus, showcase aspects of Brazilian culture through art, music, dance, films and books and have become a very popular part of Cyprus cultural life.

The Honorary Consulate of Brazil in Cyprus and the Pharos Trust present the Brazilian pianist Arnaldo Cohen in a recital with works by Nepomuceno, Levy, Gnattali, Braga, Villa-Lobos, Nazareth, Dutra, Oswald, Guarnieri , Santoro, Mignone and Liszt, on Tuesday 16 October 2007 at the PASYDY Auditorium, Nicosia at 8:30pm. The recital is sponsored by Petrobras A. S.

The Brazilian-born pianist Arnaldo Cohen, now living in the United States, has long had a reputation for astonishing his audiences with the musical authority and blistering virtuosity of his performances. Long in demand internationally, Cohen has in the past few years entered a rarefied echelon among performers in America as well. He is regularly invited to appear as a soloist with major orchestras, notably with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the distinguished conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch, and with such ensembles as the Cleveland Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His solo recitals everywhere draw enthusiastic crowds of cognoscenti. Critics, too, marvel at his mixture of musical complexity and élan.

An artist of diverse interests and talents, Cohen began his musical studies at the age of five, graduating from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro with an honours degree in both piano and violin, while also studying for an engineering degree. After winning first prize at the 1972 Busoni International Festival, Arnaldo Cohen scored a triumph at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Soon after he moved to London, he performed with such orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, and the Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Rome, collaborating with conductors such as Kurt Masur, Kurt Sanderling, Klaus Tennstedt, and Yehudi Menuhin - who described Cohen as “one of the greatest pianists I have ever heard”.

In addition to his recital and orchestral appearances, Arnaldo Cohen was a member of the prestigious Amadeus Trio for five years and performed with many string quartets, including the Lindsay Quartet, Chillingirian Quartet, Orlando Quartet, and Vanbrugh Quartet. He is a frequent recording artist. His recordings include works by Liszt, Schumann and Brahms by labels such as BIS, IMP Classics, Naxos, and Vox, all of which have been widely applauded by critics.

Arnaldo Cohen is the recipient of a fellowship awarded by the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and until recently held a professorship at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He recently relocated to the United States and now holds a piano professorship with tenure at Indiana University in Bloomington.

One of his recent recitals, on the “University of Chicago Presents” series, ignited the highest praise from John von Rhein, senior music critic of the Chicago Tribune:

"He is the greatest pianist you’ve ever heard of. Cohen’s sensational recital added his name to the list of important performers who have made their local debuts on the University of Chicago series before going on to become household names…"

(October 17, 2004)

Ticket Prices:

Adults: £12

Friends and Supporters of the Pharos Trust: £10

Concessions: £7

Tickets can be purchased from:

The Pharos Trust (22 663 871),

Athalassas Music Centre (22 510 547),

Moufflon bookshop (22 665 155),

Soloneion bookshop (22 666 799) and

Travelorama (22 452 945)