Forests are considered creations of God or nature, but a garden is a creation of man who chooses how to use nature. In the garden, man meets beauty not as a mere spectator, but as a “co-creator”.

In the framework of the Festival of Eastern Music in Xanthi, organized by the Progressive Union of Xanthi, the narrative performance The unforgettable garden will be presented at the Folklore and Historical Museum of Xanthi (courtyard with the Hammams) on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 at 21:00. The play unfolds with eight songs and three instrumental compositions by Kyriakos Kalaitzidis, with texts and lyrics by Vasiliki Nevrokopli.

Historically, in various religions, cultures and societies, the garden plays a key role. Forests are considered creations of God or nature, but a garden is a creation of man who chooses how to use nature. In the garden, man meets beauty not as a mere spectator, but as a “co-creator”. That is the main theme of the play, which was assigned by the Greek National Opera and presented at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center SNFCC in March 2018, followed by performances in Chios and Thessaloniki.

Orchestra workshop with Kyriakos Kalaitzidis

The Festival of Eastern Music, in addition to the performance, will host an original orchestra workshop by the master oud player Kyriakos Kalaitzidis, which will take place from August 8 to 10, 2021, at the Folklore and Historical Museum of Xanthi.

The aim of the workshop is for the participants to become familiar with various elements of Eastern music theory (improvisation, as well as vocal techniques of Eastern music) through the study of instrumental and vocal parts of “The unforgettable garden”, and they will also be able to participate in the performance. Participants will have the opportunity to study the musical parts of the play, which include instruments and vocal parts of both Eastern and Western music.