2022 03 03 Opera Gala
THE EVENT IS POSTPONED
Due to recent events, the artist is not confident travel from Moscow to Athens will be undisrupted and has therefore requested a postponement of the Gala and apologizes to the audience.
For many years now, the Azeri soprano and the Greek baritone are two of the brightest stars in the world’s greatest lyrical theatres, interpreting –among other roles– the great roles in the operas of Verdi and Puccini and captivating audiences with the expressive power of their voice. The presence of the two sought-after lyrical singers at Megaron is eagerly anticipated as a major event of the current artistic season.
Mantzaros + 1 - 150 years since the death of Nikolaos Mantzaros
While Greeks everywhere may be familiar with Nikolaos Mantzaros as a name, since he composed our national anthem, the sad truth is that most of us know next to nothing about the remainder of his musical output. To mark the 150th anniversary of his death, the Athens State Orchestra is providing its audience with an opportunity to familiarize itself with works by the great Corfiote composer performed by musicians with an in-depth knowledge of his music. As an interesting counterpoint, the concert also includes a charming contemporary symphonic work by the imaginative American composer, John Adams.
19:30, free introductory speech by Kostas Kardamis for ticket holders
Major projects in a minor key
After what can only be described as a triumphal appearance in early 2020, the great Christoph Eschenbach returns to the podium of the Athens State Orchestra to conduct a chamber music jewel from the pen of Johannes Brahms as orchestrated—with knowledge, imagination and love—by his illustrious successor, Arnold Schoenberg. Eschenbach has always supported young musicians and will prove it once again by joining forces with the outstanding young pianist Nefeli Mousoura in Mozart's dramatic Concerto in D minor.
19:30, free introductory speech by Haralambos Gogios for ticket holders
All participants act pro bono and the concert's proceeds will be granted to support an initiative of the Union "Together for Children" to create a guest house in the centre of Athens for children and their mothers, refugees from Ukraine. For further information, visit www.mazigiatopaidi.gr
Bruckner’s Sixth
Robust musical structures that they are, Bruckner's symphonies have been compared (with justification) with Europe's great cathedrals; each one is a world in its own right, which immerses us in the most profound thoughts and subtle feelings. Loukas Karytinos conducts the Sixth Symphony, which is considered one of Bruckner's most masterful works. Before that, the multifaceted Brazilian pianist Jean Louis Steuerman will perform Schumann's Piano Concerto, a work which enjoys a special place in the hearts of pianists and audiences alike.
19:30, free introductory speech by Haralambos Gogios for ticket holders
Journey to the Centre of Music - The Symphonic Poem
A series of interactive concerts which seek to shed light on what connects the contemporary listener to symphonic music, rendering the timeless repertoire more approachable both to newcomers to the form and music lovers who are already fans. A different genre of symphonic music is portrayed each time through a combination of videos, talks and music. Historical facts both well-known and unfamiliar, personal stories, hidden symbolisms and motifs, and the structural magic of the works are presented in an entertaining way.
Fatal Attractions - 200 years since the birth of César Franck
For his Athens State Orchestra debut, the prolific Polish maestro Pavel Kotla conducts Tchaikovsky's dramatic Fourth Symphony, a touchstone of the symphonic repertoire. Then, in honour of the bicentenary of the birth of César Franck, he leads a performance of the composer’s epic tone poem The accursed huntsman. Finally, the Flute Concerto by the outstanding and award-winning composer Michalis Travlos is performed by the internationally-renowned soloist, Ivona Glinka.
19:30, free introductory speech by Nikos Laaris for ticket holders
DISNEY FANTASIA - III
The finest animated film of all time, Disney's legendary Fantasia, meets the Athens State Orchestra at the Christmas Theatre in a magnificent celebration of images, colour and, of course, music. Fantasia is a unique partnering of animation and classical music, and the musicians of the Athens State Orchestra will be accompanying the screening with live performances of the much-loved symphonic pieces that stimulated Disney to such flights of cinematic fancy. The Athens State Orchestra is conducted by one of its principals, Nikos Haliassas.
Projection of the movie with live music and Greek subtitles.
Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts.
© All rights reserved.
DISNEY FANTASIA - II
The finest animated film of all time, Disney's legendary Fantasia, meets the Athens State Orchestra at the Christmas Theatre in a magnificent celebration of images, colour and, of course, music. Fantasia is a unique partnering of animation and classical music, and the musicians of the Athens State Orchestra will be accompanying the screening with live performances of the much-loved symphonic pieces that stimulated Disney to such flights of cinematic fancy. The Athens State Orchestra is conducted by one of its principals, Nikos Haliassas.
Projection of the movie with live music and Greek subtitles.
Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts.
© All rights reserved.
New Year Gala with the Athens State Orchestra
Faithful to its time-honoured festive rendezvous with its audience, the Athens State Orchestra welcomes in 2022 with beloved melodies from the opera and operetta repertoire, accompanying celebrated opera performers under the experienced baton of Byron Fidetzis. With a focus on Romanticism, from the Overture from Weber's The Marksman (an opera that premièred in 1821) to Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, which flirts heavily with jazz, this year's gala concert will be —as always— a wonderful musical prelude to the New Year!
19:30, free introductory speech for ticket holders
Arias, duetti and orchestral excerpts from operas by Weber, Leoncavallo, Massenet, Bizet, Saint-Saëns, Dvořák, Rossini, Bellini, Suppé, Gershwin, Offenbach, Samaras, Sakellaridis, Kálmán
Christmas concert
At festive times of the year, we often seek to reconnect with those values great and small which we can lose sight of amidst the daily routine. For Christmas this year, the Athens State Orchestra will stage the concert it couldn’t perform last year due to the pandemic, playing the ‘Parthenon’ of the symphonic repertoire, Beethoven's revered Ninth Symphony, singing the ever-relevant “Ode to Joy” for its audience under the baton of the internationally renowned Estonian maestro, Mihkel Kütson.
19:30, free introductory speech by Titos Gouvelis for ticket holders