Just like that, we are (almost) at the halfway mark of January. The first two weeks of the year are nearly over yet there is no reason to be blue, with the cultural calendar filling up. In Limassol, several performances have already taken place at Rialto Theatre this month and more are on their way.

Starting the second half of January’s programme at the Limassol theatre is a tribute concert to acclaimed Cypriot pianist and composer Nicolas Economou. On Monday, Akel’s cultural division will hold a special evening with performances by pianists Ourania Menelaou and Manolis Neofytou.

The evening’s repertoire will include Orthodoxia – Sonata for Piano, as well as three pieces for Chick Corea written by Nicolas Economou. The pianists will also present compositions intrinsically related to Economou, such as Four Dances from The Nutcracker, adapted by Economou for two pianos, Rachmaninoff’s Suita op.5, extracts from Béla Bartók’s Mikrokosmos for two pianos, as well as four-piece suite by composer Richard Rodney Bennett.

On Thursday, the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra will travel to the theatre to present its Premiere 3 concert, led by conductor Alkis Baltas. The concert will include a piece by Nicolas Economou and compositions by Paul Hindemith, Baltas and Einojuhani Rautavaara.

Then on Saturday, another opera from The MET Live in HD will be broadcast. This time it will be Guiseppe Verdi’s Nabuco, bringing ancient Babylon to life. In this production, baritone George Gagnidze makes his Met debut as the imperious king Nabucco, alongside Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska reprising her thrilling turn as his vengeful daughter Abigaille. Alongside several other grand voices, the production also includes the great Met Chorus. The opera will be screened for one night only and will include subtitles in English.

On the following evening, Nicos Portokalogou will join forces with the Cyprus Guitar Orchestra for a charity concert. Featuring 200 guitars on stage, the acclaimed Greek songwriter will perform live, accompanied by fellow musicians, students and teachers to raise money for the Cyprus AntiCancer Society.

Then, on January 26, the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra will return to Rialto to present the Cyprophonia 2 concert. Joining the musicians will be maestro Marco Parisotto to present a programme combining Cypriot talent and classical brilliance.

George Bizet’s Carmen will appear next on the Rialto Theatre screen in another production of the MET Live in HD. Acclaimed English director Carrie Cracknell makes her Met debut, reinvigorating the classic story of deadly passion with a staging that moves the action to the present day, amid a band of human traffickers.

The final performances of the month are dedicated to music. Cypriot singer Alkinoos Ioannidis will return to Rialto’s stage for two concerts on January 28 and 29, accompanied, for the first time, by three local musicians on stringed instruments, percussions and electronics, innovatively revisiting the repertoire. Marios Takoushis, Lefteris Moumtzis and Yiannis Koutis will join Ioannides to present alternative arrangements, improvisation and electronic sounds infused with live music.