A lost dream…
The chamber music ensemble ENODON takes us on a journey through the music of the interwar period, juxtaposing German music-theatre and cabaret, on the one hand, and Greek operetta and the light music of the day—in which ‘classical composers’ often did extremely well for themselves camouflaged behind pseudonyms—on the other. Accordingly, the first part of the concert is dedicated to Kurt Weill and the second to leading lights of the Greek music scene between the wars: Nikos Hadjiapostolou, Theofrastos Sakellaridis and Giannis Konstantinidis/Kostas Giannidis.
Nelli Oikonomidou, violin
Mikhail Smirnov, viola
Ivi Papathanassiou, cello
Panayiotis Kaisaris, trumpet
Kostas Avgerinos, trombone
Efi Papathomaidi, piano
Family Concert (II) (2014)
What business has a small and distinctly cute elephant driving a car through the streets of the city in a sharp suit with an elderly lady at his side? What is small but brave Peter doing on a branch whispering meaningfully to the bird flying beside him? You will find out the answers to these and a good many other questions at out ‘fairytale’ concert!
Family Concert (I) (1)
The Athens State Orchestra takes its friends young and old on a tour around the sounds of the families of instruments in the orchestra, guided by Britten’s wonderful Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. This will be followed by a composer giving a hilarious talk on his thoughts and feelings, his pencil and eraser, even his… dinner as he works furiously on his new symphonic work!
Colourful sounds
When the precise and the cerebral are combined with a wellspring of inspiration, truly irresistible music is sure to result. This is what audiences are invited to hear for themselves in the final concert of the winter season, which features Vassilis Christopoulos on the podium and the distinguished Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji. Surrender yourselves to a feast of sounds, tones and timbres ranging from the atmospheric consonance of Dalbavie and Ravel’s ravishing harmonies to the ‘icy’ sensuality of Prokovief’s Violin Concerto.
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
Brahms Cycle (V)
After his unforgettable appearance last season, the great Russian pianist Nikolai Demidenko returns to Athens to interpret Brahms’ Second Concerto, a work of truly epic length and difficulty. The eminent conductor, violinist and educator, Christoph Poppen, conducts the composer’s final symphony, a distillation of his maturity and depth, bringing our extensive tribute to the great German composer to an end with the requisite magnificence.
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
Brahms Cycle (IV)
The outstanding Russian pianist Anna Vinnitskaya, who has enjoyed an enviable career as a soloist and a professor from a very early age, joins forces with the Athens State Orchestra to tackle Brahms’ robust and dramatic First Concerto under the baton of Vassilis Christopoulos. The Third Symphony, whose immortal melodies have made it one of the composer’s most popular works, reveals a very different, lyrical, sensitive side to Brahms’ style.
19:45
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
A French scented partnership with the Onassis Cultural Centre (II)
French composers have always written works of great finesse and sensitivity while flirting with all that is new and innovative. Inevitably, countless works by non-French composers who have lived in France exude the same delicate aroma of avant-garde exploration. Thus, alongside works by Debussy, Tanguy and Mantovani, the distinguished maestro Pierre-André Valade conducts charming compositions by Stravinsky and the young Cypriot composer, Christina Athinodorou.
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
Brahms Cycle (III)
One of the most significant musicians of his generation, German conductor Marcus Bosch leaves his mark on three mature works which Brahms wrote at the very height of his powers. Enjoying pride of place among them, the ethereal Second Symphony, which has rightly been described as “Brahms’ Pastoral”. The evening’s soloist is the up-and-coming Greek violinist, Dimitris Karakantas.
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
Brahms Cycle (II)
Brahms’ longest work is also one of his most esoteric and evocative. The choice of German rather than Latin is symbolic of the composer’s intentions to express his innermost feelings on the tragedy of human existence in the most heartfelt way possible. This solemn musical rite sets a singular tone for Holy Week.
(Chorus Master: Benedikt Haag)
19:45
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders
Brahms Cycle (I)
Even though it took Johannes Brahms two decades to complete his First Symphony, so heavy did he feel Beethoven’s shadow weighing down upon him, this stirring work would firmly establish the composer as a preeminent exponent of the German symphonic tradition. This year’s Brahms Cycle can thus be considered a natural successor to our recent Mozart and Beethoven cycles. In this first concert, two internationally-celebrated soloists and a distinguished Russian conductor place their talents in the service of Brahms’ music.
Pre-concert talk, free for ticket holders