Brahms - Lugansky
Russian conductor, Stanislav Kochanovsky and his compatriot, the pianist Nikolay Lugansky, do not merely enjoy successful international careers; their names have come to be synonymous with the pinnacle of poeticism, subtlety, and sensitivity. Both the former’s performance of Johannes Brahms’s final and, in every respect, most mature Symphony, as well as the two artists’ collaboration on the German Romantic composer’s colossal Concerto no.2, are expected to be spellbinding and worthy of the depth of these two iconic symphonic works of German Romanticism.
Liszt with Alexei Volodin
The Athens State Orchestra performs under the reputable musical direction of the experienced conductor Zoi Tsokanou and featuring the distinguished Russian soloist Alexei Volodin, who has repeatedly captivated Athenian audiences in recent years with his dazzling performances. Both Nikos Astrinidis’s fascinating work -inspired by a short story by Edgar Allan Poe- and the romantic music of Franz Liszt and Albert Russell, with their high emotional intensity and orchetral brilliance, promise an unforgettable listening experience.
Bernstein and Gershwin
Carl St. Clair’s name is directly linked to the Pacific Symphony Orchestra by being its artistic director for 35 years; a lasting, creative task rendering him the longest-serving American-born conductor of a major U.S. orchestra. Deeply versed in the American symphonic repertoire, as well as one of its most inspired performers, he has left his mark on beloved melodies combining symphonic glory with Broadway’s pieces’ levity and sensuality. Carl St. Clair performs together with Alain Lefèvre, the famous French-Canadian pianist, well-known to the Athenian audience for his “electrified” playing attitude.
Gustav Mahler - The Song of the Earth
For many people, the Song of the Earth is Mahler’s most complete and moving symphony, composed during a hard period of his life; a dramatic work, a deeply human quest for relief and metaphysical consolation, harmonically combining conceptual broadness of a symphony with the clean-cut charm of ancient Chinese poetry and the penetrating boldness of human voice. An ascending figure, British conductor Duncan Ward stands at the helm of this performance, together with two lyrical artists already starring at the world’s greatest theaters
Late Night with the Athens State Orchestra
Last year’s attempt to have a concert later than the usual featuring a repertoire in a more… “nighttime” mood, was truly successful; so, this year, in response to the requests of our loyal audience, we are attempting something similar. Marcel Khalife’s concert shall assign for the first time in our history the soloist role to the oud, performed by the Greek master, Alekos Vretos. Exotic tone colors also prevail in the Venezuelan trumpeter Pacho Flores’s performance of a work of his own. The concert, conducted by Panagiotis Diamantis, an active figure within and outside the Greek borders, closes with the overwhelming Latin music rhythms of the Argentinean Alberto Jinastera’s Dances.
Concert at Terneuzen Festival, Netherlands
2026-2027 artistic period starts with the glory corresponding to an opening concert in which the Athens State Orchestra, under the baton of its artistic director, Lukas Karytinos, and in collaboration with two internationally renown, young and repeatedly distinguished soloists, presents important symphonic works of the 19th and the 20th century. What all of such works have in common is that their composers chose to align with their times’ avant-garde: Beethoven consciously changed the tide of music history in every single key; young Saint-Saëns followed Liszt's and Wagner’s aesthetic ideals, while Shostakovich expressed the 20th century’s outbreaks and tragedies so vividly as few others did.
Concert at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
2026-2027 artistic period starts with the glory corresponding to an opening concert in which the Athens State Orchestra, under the baton of its artistic director, Lukas Karytinos, and in collaboration with two internationally renown, young and repeatedly distinguished soloists, presents important symphonic works of the 19th and the 20th century. What all of such works have in common is that their composers chose to align with their times’ avant-garde: Beethoven consciously changed the tide of music history in every single key; young Saint-Saëns followed Liszt's and Wagner’s aesthetic ideals, while Shostakovich expressed the 20th century’s outbreaks and tragedies so vividly as few others did.
Lukas Karytinos, Alexandra Conunova and Hannah Jiwon Kim
2026-2027 artistic period starts with the glory corresponding to an opening concert in which the Athens State Orchestra, under the baton of its artistic director, Lukas Karytinos, and in collaboration with two internationally renown, young and repeatedly distinguished soloists, presents important symphonic works of the 19th and the 20th century. What all of such works have in common is that their composers chose to align with their times’ avant-garde: Beethoven consciously changed the tide of music history in every single key; young Saint-Saëns followed Liszt's and Wagner’s aesthetic ideals, while Shostakovich expressed the 20th century’s outbreaks and tragedies so vividly as few others did.
Corinth's concerto, concert in Nafplion
This year's artistic season concludes with another concert tour outside Athens. Leo Brouwer's Corinth Concerto for guitar, commissioned by the Greek Orchestra of Athens and the Municipality of Corinth, is a wonderful musical "prelude" before the performance of the famous Ninth Symphony by the Czech Romantic Antonín Dvořák, conducted by Nikos Haliasas. This famous symphony was written at the end of the 19th century during the composer's stay in New York, drawing on his musical experiences in the United States and incorporating them into an emotionally charged and orchestrationally brilliant symphonic masterpiece.
Under the auspices and with the support
Opera Gala in Chania
Organisation of the Region of Crete in collaboration with the the Ephorate of Antiquities of Chania, the Municipality of Chania and the Athens State Orchestra.
Under the direction of the acclaimed conductor Elias Voudouris , the Orchestra collaborates with two internationally renowned Greek opera artists: soprano Myrto Papathanasiou and baritone Dimitris Platanias . Together, they promise a magical journey into the world of opera, with arias from leading works of the international repertoire, which highlight the passion and virtuosity that make opera a timeless art form.
The concert is one of the most important events of this year's Crete Festival, confirming the constant effort of the Region of Crete to offer to the audience major cultural events and to create bonds between the universal cultural creation and the unique cultural identity of the island of Crete.
Transport sponsor: ANEK Lines
