Pénélope, opera in three acts, concertante
Mysterious, still transparent, like a child’s eyes: these are the words that philosopher Vladimir Jankélévitch uses to describe the music by Gabriel Fauré. In his mature period, the composer, fascinated by Greek Antiquity, draws inspiration from “Odyssey” for his musical drama “Pénélope”, based on a libretto by René Fauchois. The unwavering loyalty of Pénélope, the return of Odysseus to his homeland and the merry conclusion of the myth after the slaughter of the suitors weave an enticing musical universe, echoing the influence by both Gluck and Wagner.
“Pénélope” is the composer’s only opera and is presented for the first time in Greece: the Athens State Orchestra, within the frame of its collaboration with Olympia, and a brilliant cast of French and Greek singers breathe life to the epic heroes, rendering the subtle psychological nuances of the narrative. Among the artists, Olympia welcomes back conductor Pierre Dumoussaud and soprano Catherine Hunold, after their acclaimed performances in the opera “Soeur Béatrice” by Dimitri Mitropoulos.
The Greek piano concerto
Throughout its long career, the Athens State Orchestra has always served Greek music faithfully, in recognition of its value and its interest. This is what it sets out to do in this concert, too, which is dedicated to the Greek piano concerto. A genre little known, with very few exceptions, but certainly well worth a closer acquaintance, whether the concerto showcases the modernism of Nikos Skalkottas or the multifaceted collaboration between piano and orchestra in the work of Charis Vrontos, whose concerto's première performance this is. The programme peaks with Beethoven's symphony no. 1.
The Polar Express in Concert
Get up, get on, and get ready for the ride of your life! It’s Christmas Eve, and you’re about to roller-coaster up and down mountains, slip-slide over ice fields, teeter across mile-high bridges, and be served hot chocolate by singing waiters more astonishing than any you can imagine. You’re on The Polar Express!
Tom Hanks stars in and Robert Zemeckis directs this instant holiday classic filmed in dazzling performance-capture animation that makes every moment magical. “Seeing is believing,” says a mysterious hobo who rides the rails with you. You’ll see wonders. And you’ll believe. All aboooooard!
THE POLAR EXPRESS and all related characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s24)
Alan Silvestri (b. 1950)
The Polar Express in Concert
audio in English
subtitled in Greek
Musical Promenades: The String Theory
The Athens Classical Players, the string ensemble of the Athens State Orchestra, pulls out all the stops in a truly impressive programme that showcases the rich, warm timbre of the strings in all their glory via the refined elegance of Haydn, the unpretentious sensuality of Janáček, and the irrepressible lyricism of Wolf and Greig.
At 16:30, one and a half hour prior to the concert, a free guided tour will be offered with a ticket of 5€ to auditors. Reservation to the guided tour is mandatory.
Musical Promenades: Thou art my sweetest Springtime
"Thou art my sweetest Springtime, my sweetest Son, I ask Thee, “Where has Thy beauty faded"?
The integrity of Church's worship is built on Easter, which is an End yet, at the same time, a new Beginning, a spiritual depiction of the circle of man's life but also of Nature's seasons and the arrival of Spring. In the charming beauty of the Byzantine Museum, the Annunciation of Virgin Mary and the Victory over Death are glorified through verses of the Holy Bible and the Music, in a concert where secular and sacred verses are bound to celestial melodies of Bach, Telemann, Froberger, Buxtehude, Walther and Faschto offer us a mystic experience of Easter and Spring.
G. Ph. Telemann, Oboe Sonata, a moll
J.S. Bach, Viola da Gamba Sonata, D dur, BWV 1028
J.J. Froberger, Meditation sur ma mort future
D. Buxtehude, Trio Sonata Nr 4, Op 1
J.J. Walther, Imitatione del Cucu
J. F. Fasch, Sonata g moll, FWV N:g1
Musical Promenades: Musical Dyst(r)opia
The 20th century imbued the concept of the "beautiful” with new dimensions through its music (and creativity in the other arts). In many cases, Beauty now emerged out of the grotesque, the brutal, the ineffable – even the deformed. As long as the ensuing artwork was born of inner necessity, the stimulus that brought it into being was a valid source of inspiration for an imaginative artist. And this is absolutely the case with all three works in this concert, which promises to ratchet up the tension while delivering exhilaration in spades!
Further information will be announced
Musical Promenades: True Fairy Tales
The τετArt-on Quartet, in this its eighth season of its successful presence, the joins forces with the ASO's principal harpist, Gogo Xagara, and the accomplished pianist Apostolos Palios in a programme that juxtaposes the idyllic fairy-tale atmosphere of Hoffmann's music with the brutal realism of the Shostakovich Quintet.
Musical Promenades: Regarding Loss
Mendelssohn composed his Sixth Quartet after the death of his sister (1847), while Shostakovich dedicated his Seventh Quartet to the memory of his first wife. Both works are imbued with a sense of loss for a loved one, the pain of the void they leave behind, and the need to externalize this pain redemptively through music.
Musical promenades: Ideology and spirituality: Mikis Theodorakis in conversation with his teacher Olivier Messiaen
Mikis Theodorakis' apprenticeship under the great French 20th-century composer (and teacher), Olivier Messiaen, played a decisive role in moulding his musical personality. This evening’s programme consists of works by student and master both and sets out to explore the similarities and differences between them, contrasting the spirituality of Messiaen’s music with Theodorakis’ earthy, fiery, revolutionary writing.
Musical Promenades: Moonlight Serenade
Who said the brass sound is only good for blaring fanfares, blood-curdling martial motifs and ponderous musical phrases? Because trumpets, trombones, tubas and horns can play tender, heart-felt melodies with equal ease, or bring the requisite sensuality to passages serenading the night, the moon, and the truths our souls can only speak once the sun has set...
Moonlight Serenade
New Orleans Traditional arr. Jock McKenzie
When the Saints
GEORGE DAVID WEISS (1921 – 2010) / BOB THIELE (1922 – 1996) arr. Jock McKenzie
What a Wonderful World
GLENN MILLER arr. John Iveson
Little Brown Jug (Miller for Ten)
NACIO HERB BROWN (1896 – 1964) / ARTHUR FREED (1894 – 1973) arr. Jock McKenzie
Singin' in the Rain
WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER HANDY (1873 – 1958) arr. M. Allen
St. Louis Blues March
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH (1906 – 1975) arr. A. Verhaert
Jazz Suite No. 1
DUKE ELLINGTON (1899 – 1974) / JUAN TIZOL (1900 – 1984) arr. Jock McKenzie
Caravan
JIMMY MCHUGH (1894 – 1969) arr. Ryan Hume
On the Sunny Side of the Street
DIZZY GILLESPIE (1917 – 1993) / FRANK PAPARELLI (1917 – 1973) arr. Jock McKenzie
A Night in Tunisia
CAB CALLOWAY (1907 – 1994) arr. Adam Brown
Minnie the Moocher
DUKE ELLINGTON arr. Jock McKenzie
It Don't Mean a Thing