Leonidas Kavakos accompanied by the Apollωn Ensemble, an ensemble of leading Greek musicians of the new generation, after their impressive performance at the Musikverein in Vienna and the recording for Sony Classical at Megaron the Athens Concert Hall, return to a unique cultural venue: The Ekklesiasterion of Ancient Messene, where they will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s violin concertos, creating a fascinating cultural dialogue between the aesthetics of ancient Greece with the harmony and rhythm of classical music.

The concert with Leonidas Kavakos and the Apollωn Ensemble in this important landmark of ancient Greek culture (part of the Asklepieion complex, 3rd century BC) is dedicated to the memory of the archaeologist Petros Themelis (1936-2023), with whom the Megaron had already planned a first concert for the summer of 2023, which could not then take place. For decades, Petros Themelis had focused his research interest on the promotion of the city of ancient Messina, which today is one of the largest single archaeological sites in Europe. As he writes in a note: “Ancient Messene, beyond its varied forms, hypostases and functions, is itself a three-dimensional creation in conversation with its natural environment and the global public that visits it. A prominent work of art, an evolving creation assembled from its scattered members, gradually emerging from deep layers of soil of the dark ages, living in the present a second life that augurs eternally.”