Richard Strauss: Salome
The passion of the sensual princess Salome for John the Baptist, one of the most famous biblical stories combining religion with unrequited love and flagrant crime was turned into a theatrical work by Oscar Wilde and this was the basis for Richard Strauss's opera Salome. At the peak of his maturity and success, the great German Romanticist created a diachronically shocking musical score due to its arousing harmonic plot, its very plethoric instrumentation and its brilliant phonetic expression. Two of the most in demand voices of the international operatic spectrum, the Russian soprano Elena Stikhina and the Austrian tenor Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke are coming to Greece to perform the leading roles of Salome and Herode correspondingly, under the baton of Greece's top opera conductor, Lukas Karytinos.
Golden Sponsor
From the Notre Dame to the Athens State Orchestra
The organ's world has its own stars- and one of them indisputably is the French virtuoso, Vincent Dubois. Nowadays also known as the famous Paris Notre- Dame titular organist, Dubois, after receiving his first awards in 2002 in the demanding international organ competitions of Calgary and Toulouse, he has evolved into a world- range rare phenomenon. As a worthy successor of the great French tradition in organ, Dubois promises a dynamic performance of Jongen's glorious Symphonie concertante, which is for many people the most impressive and plethoric symphonic organ-led work of the first half of the 20th century!
Beethoven's Triple Concerto: Vengerov, Isserlis, Dokou
No matter to which artist a listener may focus their expectations, this concert is a guarantee to their satisfaction: its repertoire includes one classical masterpiece (Beethoven's Triple Concert) and two equally brilliant (but completely different in terms of aesthetics) symphonic works of the beginning of the 20th century, of the Czech Leoš Janáček and the French Maurice Ravel, correspondingly. However, if interest is focused on a concert's performers, nothing could be more impressive than the great names of Maxim Vegerov and Steven Isserlis, next to whom feature those of younger but promising and dynamic peers, such as Theodosia Dokou and the talented conductor Finnegan Downie Dear.
Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 2 - Denis Matsuev
Vasilis Christopoulos is one of the few conductors that are able to decode Sergei Rachmnaninoff's music's essence and to reveal all dimensions of its narrative and emotional richness without falling into superficial, passionate explosions. Denis Matsuev, one of the most competent representatives of the great Russian piano School of our days, demonstrates equal virtue in combination with a titanic domination to the piano. The concert programme complements a jewel of the literary Greek production, the Eight miniatures by Yorgos Sicilianos, a composer who followed the imperatives of music modernism, always with a highly eclectic spirit.
100 Years from Mikis Theodorakis’s birth
Carnaval is a ballet suite for orchestra that Theodorakis began composing while exiled to the island of Ikaria. According to his own words, this was the occasion for him to acquaint with Greece’s folk music tradition. The album Odyssey is a music journey through Theodorakis’ life, since he composed its first song at the age of 12 and its last at 81. Through this album, Mikis Theodorakis reflects on love, solitude, and the dead-ends of modern man in search of his own Ithaca—like a contemporary Ulisses. Sung by the principal performer of Theodorakis's works, Maria Farantouri. Conducted by the Artistic Director of the Cultural Center of Heraklion, Myron Michailidis.
100 Years from Mikis Theodorakis’s birth
Carnaval is a ballet suite for orchestra that Theodorakis began composing while exiled to the island of Ikaria. According to his own words, this was the occasion for him to acquaint with Greece’s folk music tradition. The album Odyssey is a music journey through Theodorakis’ life, since he composed its first song at the age of 12 and its last at 81. Through this album, Mikis Theodorakis reflects on love, solitude, and the dead-ends of modern man in search of his own Ithaca—like a contemporary Ulisses. Sung by the principal performer of Theodorakis's works, Maria Farantouri. Conducted by the Artistic Director of the Cultural Center of Heraklion, Myron Michailidis.
Classic Rock IX
After last year's unprecedented success, 9th Classic Rock returns to the Herodeion for one more meeting of SepticFlesh with the Athens State Orchestra. The Piraeus Vocal Ensemble LIBRO CORO will complement the unique spectacle. SepticFlesh symphonic/metal live was presented for one and only time in 2019 at the "Metropolitan Theater of Mexico City" with the Mexico Symphony Orchestra, featuring 140 musicians and a 40-member choir. It was a top-tier sold-out concert attended by more than 3500 spectators. Five years later, this project comes to Greece, promising a unique music experience at the world’s most emblematic concert hall, the Herodeion, under the Athens Acropolis and the Attica starry night. The world famous Dutch lead musician, Koen Schoots shall conduct the Athens State Orchestra.
Late night with the Athens State Orchestra
The Estonian lead musician, Anu Tali is active in both Europe and America, and distinguished as one among the most active and recognized female conductors of the 21st century. It´s the third time that the Athens State Orchestra receives Anu Tali, with the certainty that she shall leave a mark of woman elegance and finesse with a purely French proramme, proving that what sounds "light" may at the same time be very serious, essential and deep. Together with Anu Tali, the dynamic Greek piano soloist, Nefeli Mousoura in one of the most famous and impressive French works for piano, Saint-Saëns's concerto No.2
Municipal Theatre of Piraeus - a 130 year old story
The Athens State Orchestra continues its events within the framework of the Greek Ministry of Culture Year Dedicated to Mikis Theodorakis on the 100-year anniversary of his birth, honoring the great Greek composer's work. At the invitation of the- always hospitable- Prefecture of Crete, two concerts-tribute will be held at our great composer's hometown, Chania, as well as in Heraklion. In addition, the Athens State Orchestra participates to the celebrations for the 130 years of the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus.
The concert programme includes two of Mikis Theodorakis's most important works: the Mauthausen song cycle, based on Iakovos Kambanellis's poetry and the emblematic suite from Zorba the Greek, orchestrated by Dimitris Michas. Mauthausen is an emotional tribute to the Holocaust victims and one of the most harrowing combinations of Greek literature and music of the 20th century. Zorba, a literature figure representing the Greek spirit, freedom and power of life, shall be a counter-weight full of rhythm and passion.
Year dedicated to Mikis Theodorakis
The Athens State Orchestra continues its events within the framework of the Greek Ministry of Culture Year Dedicated to Mikis Theodorakis on the 100-year anniversary of his birth, honoring the great Greek composer's work. At the invitation of the- always hospitable- Prefecture of Crete, two concerts-tribute will be held at our great composer's hometown, Chania, as well as in Heraklion. In addition, the Athens State Orchestra participates to the celebrations for the 130 years of the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus.
The concert programme includes two of Mikis Theodorakis's most important works: the Mauthausen song cycle, based on Iakovos Kambanellis's poetry and the emblematic suite from Zorba the Greek, orchestrated by Dimitris Michas. Mauthausen is an emotional tribute to the Holocaust victims and one of the most harrowing combinations of Greek literature and music of the 20th century. Zorba, a literature figure representing the Greek spirit, freedom and power of life, shall be a counter-weight full of rhythm and passion.