Musical events at the Stavros Niarchos Hall

♫ On Holy Monday, the National Symphony Orchestra of ERT presents Henrik Goretsky’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs under the musical direction of George Petrou

♫ On Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday, in the musical performance of Silence the Place, George Dalaras and Vassilikos perform compositions by Andreas Katsigiannis

During Holy Week, the audience of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) will have the opportunity to attend three musical evenings of solemn atmosphere in the Stavros Niarchos Hall, as part of the Cosmos concert series. All concerts are made possible thanks to the donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

Symphony of Sorrowful Stars by Henrik Goretsky

On Monday, April 18, at 20:30, the ERT National Symphony Orchestra presents the 3rd Symphony of Polish composer Henrik Goretsky. The internationally acclaimed conductor George Petrou conducts one of the most important works of the 20th century, also known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. Through exquisite poetic texts that praise love, depict grief, mourn death and extol faith, the work will convey, among other things, the emotions that characterize the journey from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection.

The first part of the symphony is based on a 15th-century Polish hymn about the death of Jesus, while the second part is based on a note written by an 18-year-old girl from her cell in the Gestapo. In the third part, the composer draws material from a traditional song of Silesia. In the lyrics of this song, a mother searches for her son who has been killed in the uprisings against the Germans. The demanding vocal part is sung by the soprano Myrto Papathanasiou. At the beginning of the concert, Nestor Taylor’s lyrical work “The Way of the Archangel”, an elegy for strings, will be performed.

The National Symphony Orchestra of ERT is considered one of the most dynamic, complete and active symphony orchestras in Greece. Since its foundation in 1938 until today, it has presented works by the most important Greek and foreign composers, conductors and researchers, through recordings, concerts and live broadcasts on radio and television. Today, the conductor of the orchestra is the award-winning conductor George Petrou.

George Petrou, one of the leading Greek orchestra conductors, has had a brilliant international career, with regular appearances in major theatres and concert halls around the world. He regularly collaborates with renowned orchestras and much of his activity is devoted to opera.  He is also involved in directing and has signed successful opera and musical theatre productions. He has been honoured with the “Echo Klassik” award and was nominated at the 2018 Grammy Awards. The French government awarded him the title of “Knight of Arts and Letters”, while the Royal Academy of Music in London awarded him the honorary title of “Associate” (ARAM). In 2018, the Association of Theatre and Music Critics awarded him the Grand Prize for Music. Since 2021 he has been Artistic Director of the historic Göttingen International Handel Festival. He is Artistic Director of the Camerata – Orchestra of the Friends of Music. He studied piano at the Athens Conservatoire and completed his studies at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music in London with scholarships from the Royal Academy itself and the Onassis Foundation.

The Place of Silence: Giorgos Dalaras and Vassilikos perform compositions by Andreas Katsigiannis

Βασσιλικός / Vassilikos

On Great Tuesday 19 April and Great Wednesday 20 April, at 20:30, the Stavros Niarchos Hall hosts the musical performance Tis Silence the Place.  Songs and orchestral themes from the work of the composer Andreas Katsigiannis entitled Great Hours will be performed by Giorgos Dalaras and Vassilikos accompanied by the Contemporary Music Orchestra of ERT in a special musical collaboration.

The work, which is in musical conversation with East and West, is dominated by the search and agony of man’s journey towards the unknown and redemption. The dramaturgy also includes Friedrich Nietzsche’s poem “You the Unknown God”, as well as texts by Alexandros Papadiamantis and excerpts from Thomas Korovini’s novel, The Angelic Chime – The Last Night of Mr. Alexander.

The play was presented for the first time in a production of the Saint Maximus the Greek Institute.

George Dalaras and Vassilikos, performers of high artistic stature, put their own interpretive stamp on these two special evenings.

Coming from a musical family, Andreas Katsigiannis started his professional career through studies in European and Byzantine music and at the same time playing the santouri with a unique technique that changed the whole philosophy of the instrument, placing it in many different genres of music, in the international sound.

Γιώργος Νταλάρας / Giorgos Dalaras

Ανδρέας Κατσιγιάννης / Andreas Katsigiannis

Credits:

Composition: Andreas Katsigiannis

Lyrics: Lina Nikolakopoulou, Eleni Fotaki, Alexandros Foteinos

Soloists: Yorgos Dallaras, Vassilikos

Narration: Michalis Sarantis

Folk Orchestra soloists:

Alexandros Arkadopoulos, clarinet, cavalin

Nikos Mermigas, laftas

Apostolis Valaroutsos, guitars

Kostas Meretakis, percussion

Elias Mantikos, cannon

Andreas Katsigiannis on piano

Contemporary Music Orchestra of ERT:

Conductor.

Vocal ensemble Chorus Vivendi:

Conductor: Yannis Vryzakis

Yannis Vivendi, Yannis Vivendi:

Antonis Zahopoulos, Stage

Antonis Koulouris, FoH

Ilias Lakka

Lighting:

Pericles Mathiellis

Periphilios Khalifa, Periphilios Khalifa, Periphilios Khalifa:

Apostolos Tsiarkas, Dimitris Siambos, Andreas Katsigiannis

Orchestral Arrangement/Score:

Dimitris Mathiopoulos

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