The Athens Concert Hall will host an extensive programme of performances, with a wide range of events and performances, including a wide variety of events from the world of music, such as the Greek conductor and superstar Theodoros Kourentzis, the distinguished dance pioneer Dimitris Papaioannou and the leading conductor and musician Michael Barenboim.
The new April-June programme, announced today, includes music, dance, theatre and opera events with the participation of major orchestras, established and young artists, covers a wide range of repertoire and has proposals for all ages.
One of the most eagerly awaited appointments is the one with the internationally sought-after Greek conductor Theodoros Kourentzis, who will conduct the Utopia Orchestra for two evenings, on 20 and 21 May, in Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony.
As for Dimitris Papaioannou, a favourite of Greek and international audiences alike, he returns to the Megaron with his highly successful performance INK, which lands at home after a triumphant tour abroad.
Tickets for the five performances scheduled to be given, from 22 to 26 April, are already sold out.
The Greek audience will have the opportunity to enjoy the virtuoso performances of great foreign and Greek musicians during this year’s “Spring Festival” (8-20/4).
A wide range of music, opera, opera, opera and theatre
Among them are virtuoso pianist Alasdair Beatson, organist Winfried Banig, violinist Janine Jansen, pianist Denis Kazuhin, pianists Dora Bakopoulou and Achilleas Vastor, cellist Timotheos Gavriilides-Petrin and piano soloist Vassilis Varvaressos.
In addition to the excellent Utopia Orchestra of Theodoros Kourentzis, the Athens Concert Hall will also host the Greek Youth Symphony Orchestra – Youth Orchestra of the Athens Concert Hall, which will be conducted by the renowned violin and viola soloist Michael Barenboim, the La Scala di Milano String Quartet, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under the baton of international conductor Constantinos Karydis and the Athens State Orchestra.
Of particular interest is the staging, from 16 to 20 May, of a modern version of Shakespeare’s masterpiece Romeo and Juliet.
It is the result of a collaboration between Greek and Turkish artists, a performance in three languages, Greek, English and Turkish, directed by Lefteris Yovannidis and starring, among others, Roula Pateraki and Nikos Karathanos.
In addition, in addition to the well-known event cycles, a special tribute to wind instruments will be added for the first time, in which Greek and foreign musicians will take part, while satellite broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera of New York and performances for children accompanied by educational activities will continue.
Spring 2024 Festival
The Concert Hall welcomes spring with the now-established Spring Festival (8-20/4), combining concerts and dance performances.
This year’s Spring Festival of the Arts begins with the Quartetto d’Archi della Scala (Milan Scala String Quartet) and Scottish virtuoso pianist Alasdair Beatson (8/4).
Following the highly successful performances of Juan de la Rubia, organist of Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, and Olivier Latry of Notre-Dame in Paris at the Spring 2022 and 2023 Festivals respectively, the baton is passed this year to Winfried Bönig, distinguished organist of Cologne Cathedral (9/4).
From 12 to 14/4, the focus shifts to contemporary dance. The Batsheva Ensemble – an ensemble particularly beloved by Greek audiences – performs Ohad Naharin’s new creation “Last Work”, which searches for its Romanesque place in time: a dreamy past, a chaotic present and an unknown future.
On 16/4 two great stars of the new generation, violinist Janine Jansen and pianist Denis Kozukhin, who delighted Greek audiences at the Spring 2023 Festival, return to the Megaron. This year’s event culminates on 20/4 with a concert by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
On the podium, the leading international conductor Constantinos Karydis will lead the renowned ensemble in a programme of high quality works by Greek and foreign composers of the 19th and 20th century.
The Chamber Orchestra of Europe is joined by the young virtuoso pianist Jan Lisiecki. Also participating as soloists from the orchestra are violinists Steve Copes and Lucy Gould and cellist Will Conway (sponsored by AIGEAS – AMKE POLITICAL & SOCIAL PROJECT).
Great Orchestras
The Utopia Orchestra, the new international artistic project of the charismatic Theodoros Kourentzis, which includes select soloists from all over the world, will perform for two nights only, on 20 and 21/5, in Athens, as part of its scheduled international tours for 2024.
After Berlin and Hamburg, the distinguished ensemble comes to the Megaron to present, under the musical direction of its founder and artistic director, an unconventional interpretation of Anton Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony in D minor that is sure to be a talking point.
Adagio – Music for the days of Easter
On 30/4 the Athens State Orchestra approaches Johann Sebastian Bach’s magnificent “St. Matthew Passion” [Johann Sebastian Bach] in a different light, presenting it through the dimension of dance movement.
The soloistic vocal parts are performed by tenor David Fischer [David Fischer], bass-baritone Padraic Rowan [Pondric Rowan], high voice Fani Antonello, contralto Henriette Gödde [Henriette Gaede], tenor Vassilis Kavagias and bass Peter Magoulas. On the podium, Michael Zeke. The Choir of the Municipality of Athens (conductor: Stavros Beris) and the Rosarte Children’s Choir (conductor: Rosie Mastrosava) will also take part.
The artistic supervision has been undertaken by the director Panagis Pagoulatos, and the design of the video projections by Alexandros Zambetas (co-production: CTO – Athens Concert Hall).
Dance at the Megaron
Dimitris Papaioannou’s INK returns to the Megaron from 22 to 26/4, after a full year of world tour.
INK is made like a dark dream about desire and cancellation.
Under an unstoppable rain, in a flooded landscape, Dimitris Papaioannou himself, together with Šuka Horn, embody the diptych of INK.
The performance was acclaimed by audiences and critics around the world and will conclude its international tour at the renovated historic Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, immediately after the Athens performances.
Please note that tickets are sold out.
The Wind Weeken
For the first time, the Athens Concert Hall is organizing, in April, a weekend dedicated to brass and woodwinds, with guest artists from Greece and abroad.
In the opening recital scheduled for Saturday 27/4, we will have the rare opportunity to hear Matthijs Koene play the Pan flute. He will be followed, on the same day, by trumpeter Simon Höfele.
On Sunday 28/4, we will enjoy two concerts: in the first, oboist Yannis Economou and bassoonist Alexandros Economou will perform together, while in the second, flutist Nikos Nikopoulos will perform. The epilogue of the brass weekend belongs to Øystein Baadsvik [Oystein Bodsvik] and the giant of brass, the tuba.
Greek soloists in the Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall
Four acclaimed musicians from different generations take to the stage of Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall in May to offer the audience two special evenings of chamber music.
On 15/5, pianists Dora Bakopoulou and Achilleas Gustor will perform works for two pianos, while a week later (22/5), cellist Timotheos Gavriilidis-Petrin and piano soloist Vassilis Varvaressos will approach, through their own perspective, charming compositions of the 19th and 20th centuries.
