Maria Callas - Opera at Megaron
Russian soprano Elena Stikhina and Greek baritone Dimitris Platanias are famous in the greatest opera theatres of the world, with astonishing interpretations even when it comes to the most demanding opera roles. Under the batton of the eminent conductor Lukas Karytinos, and accompanied by the Athens State Orchestra, they sing a programme composed by favorite arias of the Italian romantic opera, emphasizing on the immortal Giuseppe Verdi and they offer their experience and their endless vocal and musical talent, promising unforgettable interpretations.
Athens Festival
Giuseppe Verdi’s awe-inspiring Requiem is one of the most popular symphonic/choral works of all time. In addition to its emotionally moving musical power, what also sets it apart is its anthropocentric dimension. Verdi neither attempted to bolster faith nor stir up fear about the Judgement Day or foster hope for eternal rest. Confronted with the tragic fact of death, he wanted his music to celebrate Humans, their awe in the face of the unknown, their stance towards God, oscillating between faith and doubt. Deeply emotional, the music focuses on and expresses the mystery of the fleeting human existence, making Requiem one of the most invaluable works of the world music canon.
This year, the Athens State Orchestra celebrates the 80 years since its founding with this legendary work, under the baton of its chief conductor Lukas Karytinos. Audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy bass Alexandros Stavrakakis, the only Greek opera singer to have won First Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, internationally acknowledged Greek soprano Myrtò Papathanasiu, imposing Tunisian mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb and famous Grammy-nominated English-American tenor Barry Banks.
Athens Festival
Legendary conductor Christoph Eschenbach, one of the most established figures in classical music worldwide, has repeatedly offered iconic performances alongside the world’s leading orchestras. In the last few years, he has been regularly collaborating with the Athens State Orchestra.
Chinese pianist Lang Lang, who will perform Grieg’s work, is indisputably a veritable piano superstar, captivating a wide range of music lovers with his passion and electrifying virtuosity.
Eschenbach’s contemplative maturity will cross paths with Lang Lang’s youthful fire, offering a historically important performance for the Greek music scene that will surely be etched in memory, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Athens State Orchestra.
Colours of Iberia
The former artistic director of the Athens State Orchestra, Stefanos Tsialis, has proven his love for Spanish music many times in the past. Returning to the orchestra he led for six years, he also returns to the music of the leading Spanish composer of the 20th century, Manuel de Falla, with all its brio, pride, vitality, harmonic sensuality and dance energy. The guest soloist for the concert is the rising star of the viola, the American Marc Sabbah, the viola soloist of the Belgian National Orchestra and a virtuoso at the height of his powers, capable of rendering every virtue of his instrument, both obvious and less so, plain to hear.
Grand Vienna
The Athens State Orchestra's sensational collaborations last season with the legendary Russian pianist, Mikhail Pletnev, and the great French conductor, Philippe Auguin, were truly unforgettable. Needless to say, our musicians and audiences alike are overjoyed and honoured that both will be returning to Athens this season – especially since they will be performing classical masterpieces created in Vienna by three of the greatest composers of all time! The concert programme begins with the subtlety and drama of the mature Mozart, then move on to Haydn's joyful and always surprising writing, before proceeding down paths of rare breadth, grandeur and lyricism in Schubert's "Great" Symphony!
New Year's Eve in Paris
The appointment of the Athens State Orchestra with the audience of the Megaron on New Year’s Eve is an established musical institution, inextricably linked to the festive Christmas season and the joyful welcoming of the New Year. This year, the subject of the long-awaited New Year’s gala is the French opera. Although less famous and widespread compared to the Italian opera, French opera is today widely recognised, with many enchanting arias and brilliant orchestral excerpts being particularly popular and loved by the general public. Many of them, among the most recognizable and entertaining, will be heard at tonight’s gala, performed by four eminent lyrical singers under the guidance of seasoned conductor Myron Michaelides.
The Athens State Orchestra in motion Ι – Mozart the Magic Flute
The timeless appeal of Mozart's Magic Flute has a lot to do, of course, with the universally acknowledged perfection and expressiveness of his music, but it's also because Emanuel Schikaneder's libretto expresses the ever-topical humanist ideals of the European Enlightenment and of Freemasonry in an elegant and vividly symbolic way. Under the baton of the dynamic Katia Molfesi, a cast of fine Greek lyric actors recreate Mozart's operatic swansong in a semi-staged version, adding a beautifully spiritual, fairy tale tone to this year's Christmas celebrations.
Beethoven... alone
Beethoven's great and immortal works, though clearly the products of their era, nonetheless inhabit a space beyond space and time as archetypal expressions of concepts and emotions that have always existed and will exist in perpetuity. So a concert with works by "Beethoven... alone" can trigger unexpected meanings, new reflections and entirely fresh musical experiences. Let's confirm the truth of that one more time by listening to three beloved symphonic masterpieces by the great German classical composer, conducted by an experienced and mature maestro and performed by a truly virtuosic soloist in his absolute prime.
10 movies - 10 decades - 10 Oscars
As everyone knows, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been awarding its famous gold statuettes to outstanding figures in Film at the annual Oscars ceremony since 1929. Needless to say, these include the composers whose music caused a stir in darkened auditoria down the decades as the perfect accompaniment to great films. The celebrated film critic Yannis Zoumboulakis has selected ten famous film scores, one for each decade in the Oscars' history, which we can hear with fresh ears and enjoy anew in inspired performances by the world's leading film music conductor, Frank Strobel.
The Adventures of Robin Hood, 1938
MIKLÓS RÓZSA (1907-1995):
Spellbound, 1945
DIMITRI TIOMKIN (1894-1979) and NED WASHINGTON:
High Noon, 1952
MAURICE JARRE (1924 - 2009):
Doctor Zhivago, 1965
JOHN WILLIAMS (b. 1932):
Jaws, 1975
VANGELIS (1943-2022):
Chariots of fire, 1981
NICOLA PIOVANI (b. 1946):
La vita è bella, 1998
DARIO MARIANELLI (b. 1963):
Atonement, 2007
ALEXANDRE DESPLAT (b. 1961):
Grand Budapest Hotel, 2014
HANS ZIMMER (b. 1957):
Dune: Part One, 2022
Romanticism... to the max
Cornelius Meister, the German musical director of the Stuttgart State Opera and Orchestra, makes his debut on the Athens State Orchestra podium in a concert that promises to stir the most heartfelt and passionate emotions in our city's music lovers! After all, is there any other way to react to a performance of Bruckner's popular Fourth Symphony, a work which paints the joys and beauty of Life in truly vivid colours? As for Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto, what need is there for words about a piece whose melodies and drama never fail to strike the most sensitive chords in the human soul? We can expect a breath-taking interpretation from Alexia Mouza, a musician of infinite talent and rare pianistic gifts!