The concert on the evening of Saturday, April 25, in Istanbul turned into a magical event, where acclaimed Greek performer Betty Harlafti, together with her collaborators, presented “Kavafika”, set to music by Antonis Kizoulis, in the magnificent, fully packed Ceremonial Hall of the Austrian Consulate General in Istanbul, invited by the historic Greek Community of Neochori.
In the presence of the Consul General of Greece in Constantinople, Ambassador Mr. Konstantinos Koutras, members of the Consulate staff, the Cultural Attaché of the Austrian Consulate Ms. Silvia Neureiter, Archon Grand Chartophylax of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Mr. Lakis Vingas, diplomats, journalists, and a large and enthusiastic audience, a concert took place which, by common consensus, stands as one of the most remarkable events organized in recent years in Istanbul by the Greek community.
The event formed part of the annual tribute of the Neochori Community to Constantine P. Cavafy, held every April—a month inextricably linked to the poet, who was born and passed away on April 29. Cavafy also maintained a special connection with Neochori, where he lived from 1882 to 1885.
The audience was welcomed by the Administrative Committee of the Neochori Community, headed by its President Nikolaos Kalamaris, while Yvonne Vingas introduced the program in several languages.
At the heart of the evening was Harlafti’s performance, which uniquely conveyed Cavafy’s poetry, forming the basis of the outstanding work by the award-winning composer Antonis Kyzoulis. “Kavafika” was recently recorded in symphonic form by Greek National Radio & TV Broadcast Corporation (ERT) and is scheduled for release.
During the evening, the work was performed by distinguished musicians Michalis Papageorgiou on piano and the concertmaster of the ERT Contemporary Music Orchestra, Stathis Laskaridis, on violin. The literary dimension of the event was enhanced through bilingual recitations of the texts by the exceptional actors Loukas Koutras and Kostas Kortidis in Greek and Turkish respectively, with editing by Agathi Dimitrouka.
With clarity and expressive sensitivity, among others, the set included the musical settings of the poems “Ta Keria,” “Apolipein o Theos Antonion,” “Ionic,” “Fones,” and more.
On stage, Betty Harlafti expressed her emotion at returning to the “City of Cities, which from the very first day of its founding in antiquity and for thousands of years to this day has been something like the center of the earth, making the heart beat faster.”
At the end of the concert, the prolonged applause and the audience’s clear desire for more led Betty Harlafti to conclude with one more song, this time from the repertoire of Mikis Theodorakis. “Polis” by C. P. Cavafy, set to music by the universal composer—with whom Harlafti’s name has been more closely associated than of any other artist of her generation—was heard as a farewell.
A farewell to an unforgettable evening where, overlooking the waters and vessels of the Bosphorus, poetry and music illuminated shared cultural references and elevated the audience into a multidimensional artistic experience.
Available video here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g5ZCW_4_qSlR7_kIddNGdnlDukfuuIg-/view
