Sounds of passion-Slavic Soul V
The internationally-celebrated Slovenian maestro, Uroš Lajovic, conducts the Athens State Orchestra in what promises to be an exhilarating reading of Tchaikovsky’s dramatic Fourth Symphony. The violinist, Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay, the winner of numerous international competitions and concertmaster of the Philharmonia Orchestra, performs Dvorak’s virtuosic concerto, a work which marries the vivacity of Slavic dance rhythms with raw musicality and the robust architecture of the German musical tradition.
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
From the Venizelos of Crete to the Crete of Venizelos
The figure of Eleftherios Venizelos towers over the history of 20th-century Greece like no other, and it was inevitable that he would provide inspiration to one of his greatest admirers, the composer Manolis Kalomiris. Of course, the statesman's Cretan homeland has also left its mark on the work of other composers including Skalkottas, Mitropoulos and Koumentakis. The distinguished maestro Byron Fidetzis conducts a programme inspired by the Cretan Muse and concluded with Dvorák's Fifth Symphony
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
New Year concert
We all do our best to welcome the New Year in as optimistic, joyful and carefree a frame of mind as possible. Intent on keeping these positive feelings at our side throughout 2015, the Athens State Orchestra will deliver a New Year concert replete with much-loved melodies from popular operettas. The works will be performed by well-known opera singers under the baton of Andreas Tselikas.
Christmas Concert (2)
Christmas is a time of religious joy and family togetherness, a holiday in which we look back at our former, innocent selves. It is this, our most tender and sensitive side, that is stirred by those charming symphonic compositions of yesterday and today which have become so inseparably linked to the spirit and message of the season. Under the baton of Nikos Haliasas, the Athens State Orchestra perform much-loved works and bestow light and joy on young and old alike.
Winter dreams – Slavic Soul IV
One of the greatest pianists of our age, celebrated for his interpretations of the contemporary repertoire and beyond, France's Pierre-Laurent Aimard joins forces with the Athens State Orchestra to perform Antonín Dvorák's charming piano concerto. And while the Czech composer's fellow-countryman, Bedrich Smetana, captures the flow of the Moldau with grace and sensitivity in Vltava, the harsh imagery of Tchaikovsky's First Symphony transports us to the harsh Russian winter.
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
Antipodes–German Romantics II
Capturing Scotland's grey and melancholic landscape, Mendelssohn's celebrated Third Symphony is stylistically worlds apart from the robust and high-flown overture from Wagner's Master Singers of Nuremberg. The distinguished clarinet soloist and teacher, Johannes Gmeinder, performs Weber's highly demanding, classically pellucid Second Concerto. The Athens State Orchestra is conducted by an eminent German conductor, Golo Berg.
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
Images of the European North–German Romantics I
A number of this season’s concerts are dedicated to works by German Romantics and post-Romantics. The first concert in the cycle is presided over by Robert Schumann's larger-than-life Third Symphony and emotionally-laden Cello Concerto, which is performed by the up-and-coming soloist, Gabriel Schwabe. Alongside these masterpieces, under the baton of Stefanos Tsialis, the Athens State Orchestra sheds light on the fascinating work of a composer little-known in Greece: Hans Pfitzner.
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
Petronius' Satyricon II
Petronius, a member of Nero's court, portrays the debauchery of the Roman empire of his era with a provocative and satirical realism. His Satyricon provided the inspiration for Fellini's film of the same name. The well-known composer, Dimitris Papadimitriou, has selected key sections from the work and reworked them musically to create an ambitious work which verges on opera.
Russian fire – Slavic Soul VII
Sergei Rachmaninov's music needs no introduction; a well-spring of emotions, authentic passion, exhilarating harmonic dramaturgy, glorious orchestration and moving melodies, the Russian composer’s works never fail to speak to the listener’s soul with an enviable immediacy. The fiery First Piano Concerto is played by the talented Kornilios Michailidis, while the effulgent Second Symphony is conducted by Juraj Valcuha, the Slovenian maestro who needs no introduction for Greek audiences.
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
One music, many faces
Acknowledged internationally as one of the most talented conductors of the new generation, the German Eckehard Stier presents his personal take on Berlioz's emblematic Symphonie Fantastique, a landmark in 19th-century music. The concert's three remaining works—two of which feature the celebrated clarinettist, Dimitri Ashkenazy—provide us with the perfect opportunity to familiarize ourselves with different aspects of the music produced in France during the turbulent 20th century.
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders