Great stars of the violin, the piano, the opera and his dance they will spread their brilliance on his stage this year Athens Music Hall: the violinists Leonidas Kavakos, Viktoria Mullova, Vilde Frang, Janine Jansen, the pianists Yuja Wang, Maria João Pires, Nikolai Lugansky, Rafal Blechacz, the lyric singers Joyce DiDonato and Lise Davidsen.
Among the Greek artists stands out Dimitris Papaioannou with the first presentation in Greece of the long-awaited work of "INK", while with new productions the Englishman is coming to Athens Akram Khan and Grand Ballets Canadiens.
The artistic director of the Palace, Yannis Vakarelis, characteristically notes: “The anticipation of the end of the pandemic and the return to "normality" met in 2022 with geopolitical developments and the urgent need to turn our attention to climate change and the environment. The extended periods in which we were confined were for all a period of reflection. A period with a strong need to understand the ever-changing everyday life.
What remains common in this spiritual journey is the need for people to be together. And art remains that discreet thread that sometimes becomes a safety net and sometimes a ribbon in the hair that waves carelessly, but above all it is the thread that holds us together.
The artistic design of the period 22-23 is full of stories and occasions for people to come together.
Through a multi-collective program - which includes classical music, contemporary creation, leans on tradition with a fresh eye, introduces the new generation of creators, provokes, "plants" seeds for the future, is open to improvisation, highlights the female presence and raises awareness for nature and the environment – we aim for our audience to have an even greater interaction with Megaro. Let's create the common place, where the "tribes" of music, dance, theater and opera will meet. A Palace for All.”
The tone for the 2022-2023 artistic season is set by the new music sections Violin Masters, Piano Days and Jazz@Megaron, which combine with the successful Spring Festival which was launched last year, as well as with the much-loved Great Orchestras and Great Performers circles.
As part of the new series of events Violin Masters, the Megaro becomes a meeting place for established as well as up-and-coming soloists who excel in the world's largest concert halls. So this season, we will enjoy in the Christos Lambrakis Hall the beloved acquaintance of the Greek audience Viktoria Mullova, the amazing Dutch virtuoso Janine Jansen and the popular Leonidas Kavakos in a recital with the piano star Yuja Wang. Also, in the spring we will meet the Norwegian Vilde Frang, a soloist with a strong presence on the world music scene.
As for opera lovers, they will have the opportunity to enjoy two of the greatest voices of our time: the American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and the Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen in their first appearance at the Megaro.
The piano occupies a special place in this year's artistic programming. At the end of January, Piano Days are organized for the first time. This celebratory two-day event marks the start of the Palace's partnership with the Steinway Prizewinner Concerts Network, a world-renowned artistic organization that highlights soloists who have won prizes in major international competitions. Among others, we will listen to Jean-Louis Steuerman, Alexia Mouza, Achillea Vastor, Nefeli Mousoura and Olga Davnis.
In addition, this season, three of the most important pianists of our time are performing in the halls of the Palace: Maria João Pires and Nikolai Lugansky, who have been particularly popular with the Greek public for many years, but also the young Rafal Blechacz, the Polish virtuoso which swept the awards at the 2005 International Chopin Competition.
Symphonic sound is always at the heart of the Big Orchestras cycle, which, in 2022-2023, hosts the Orchestra Maggio Musicale Fiorentino with Daniele Gatti on the podium. The program also includes concerts by the baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants under William Christie with the delightful tribute "Moliere and his music", the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano, the Ensemble Festival Strings Lucerne, the Sinfonia Varsovia and the pre-classical music orchestra Il Pomo d'Oro conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev.
November will be the month of jazz (Jazz@Megaron), with well-known names from Greece and abroad: Stefano di Battista Quartet, Dimitris Vassilakis–Gil Weiberg–Shimon Robot & Friends (for the first time in Greece), Espen Berg Trio , Sakis Papadimitriou, Tasos Pappas, Stavros Lantsias, Alexandros Drakos-Ktistakis and Dimitris Kalantzis.
Great Orchestras – Great Performers
The curtain opens with William Christie and the baroque ensemble Les Arts Florissants (2/10), who have defined what few have called the "whole reset" of pre-classical music over the past 40-plus years. An exciting concert-tribute to the music of Molière's period in the context of the world celebrations for the 400th anniversary of the birth of the great dramatist.
Pianist Alain Lefèvre, who especially loves Greece, collaborates with Hélène Mercier, in a recital in which the two Canadian virtuosos present, among others, two works by – also Canadian – André Mathieu (5/10). They will close their program with the version for two pianos of "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel.
Sir Antonio Pappano, current music director of London's Royal Opera House-Covent Garden and head of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2024, conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (26/11).
The orchestral ensemble Festival Strings Lucerne, which enchanted music lovers in its first appearance at the Megaro, returns, especially for the Athenian audience, in a summit meeting with the pianist Maria João Pires (18/2).
The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Orchestra comes to Athens again, this time under the musical direction of conductor Daniele Gatti (1-2/3). Next month (1/4), at the same festival, Sinfonia Varsovia with piano virtuoso Rafal Blechacz will appear at Megaro.
The soprano Lise Davidsen (15/10), who dominates the biggest opera stages and is considered one of the leading singers of our time, is coming for the first time to the Athens Concert Hall for a special opera gala.
Pianist Yuja Wang and Leonidas Kavakos (30/11) chose Megaro as a stop on their world tour. Their performance has already been hailed by critics as one of the most anticipated of the season.
Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, the "24 carat voice" described by the Times, will present her new project titled "EDEN", taking us on a journey to find harmony through our connection to the nature. Her companions, the members of the baroque ensemble Il Pomo d'Oro conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev (30/5).
Violin Masters
The 2022-2023 season includes the new Violin Masters cycle that opens with a violinist particularly loved by the Greek public, Viktoria Mullova (26/10), who will give a recital with the pianist Alasdair Beatson. The cycle continues with the virtuoso violinist Janine Jansen (26/11) visiting the Megaro with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. At the end of November, Leonidas Kavakos (11/30) collaborates with the pianist Yuja Wang in a rare recital at Megaro, sponsored by AEGEAS-AMKE, a cultural and public benefit project.
(See Great Orchestras – Great Performers).
Finally, in April, at the Spring Festival, Norwegian violin soloist Vilde Frang and pianist Denis Kozhukhin appear (4/4).
Jazz@Megaron
Jazz@Megaron (5-13/11) is also a new section of this year's artistic programming. A cycle of concerts from the entire spectrum of jazz that will take place, among others, in alternative spaces of the Megaros. Featuring the Stefano di Battista Quartet (5/11), Dimitris Vassilakis-Gil Weinberg-Shimon Robot & Friends (Georgia Institute of Technology, the concert is supported by the US Embassy in Athens, 7/11), the Norwegian Espen Berg Trio (8/11), pianist and composer Sakis Papadimitriou (9/11), piano soloist Tasos Pappas in a program that combines jazz with symphonic sound (10/11), Stavros Lantsias (11/11 ), Alexandros Drakos-Ktistakis (12/11) and Dimitris Kalantzis (13/11).
Christmas at the Mansion
December includes a number of events for the whole family, such as the performance "Edo Lillipopoli" – The songs (3-4/12), the concert of the Vienna Mozart Children's Choir (17-18/12) and the unexpected rock musical "Scrooge ", based on "A Christmas Story" by Charles Dickens, with original music by Stefanos Korkolis and directed by Christos Sougaris, with Panos Mouzourakis leading a large group of actors and singers in surprise roles (22-30/12). The distinguished organist Ourania Gassiou reveals again this year the imposing church organ of the Palace, a symbol of its Christmas events, through a program with works by JS Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn and other composers (23/12). Karagiozis is celebrating his 10 years at Megaro with a trip full of musical adventures in the fantastic Paris.
In the City of Light, with Ilias Karellas and his shadows, Georgia Kefala and a special group of musicians travel (21 and 23/12, 25-30/12). The foyers of the Megaros will be filled with festive tunes, which will be presented by up-and-coming bands from conservatories and music schools of Attica, while the Christos Lambrakis Hall will host a Christmas gala musical (co-produced with the Athens State Orchestra) with songs and excerpts from Cole's works Porter, by Frederick Loewe, Leonard Bernstein and other composers. Participants: Myrsini Margariti (high-voice), Nadia Kontogeorgi (mid-voice),
Yiannis Kalyvas (tenor) and Giorgos Papadimitriou (bass). In the musical direction, Michalis Economou (30/12).
Dance in the Mansion
The long-awaited work "INK" by Dimitris Papaioannou is presented for the first time in Greece at the Athens Concert Hall (12, 13, 14, 15 and 19, 20, 21/1).
Iro Vassalou–Snap Dance Company (10-12/3). The "Symposium" will evolve into a group dance performance that will be presented as part of the Megaron Underground cycle. Three dancers and a musician interact with stage materials composing a colorful physical collage.
Les Grands Ballets Canadiens (8 and 9/4). Known for its subversive productions outside of the classical form, the famous dance group from Quebec, Canada comes to Megaro with two new choreographies.
Akram Khan listens and creates. His new production "Jungle Book Reimagined" (14 and 15/6) is about the climate crisis. "… And, since our children are the ones who will inherit our mistakes, I want them to know that the environmental crisis was and still is a cultural crisis more than ever."
Spring Festival
In April 2023, the Spring Festival (1-9/4) is organized, the spring festival of music and dance, which was held for the first time last year with great success.
The program is as follows:
1/4 Sinfonia Varsovia – Rafal Blechacz (piano): the Festival opens with one of the most important orchestras in Poland founded by Yehudi Menuhin and directed for many years by the great Polish composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki. Joining them, in Chopin's Second Concerto, is Rafal Blechacz, the phenomenal pianist who swept all the prizes at the 2005 International Chopin Competition.
3/4 Vox Clamantis: internationally acclaimed choral ensemble from Estonia with a repertoire spanning from Gregorian organ to contemporary composer Arvo Pärt.
4/4 Vilde Frang (violin) – Denis Kozhukhin (piano): two shining stars of the 21st century collaborate in a chamber music concert.
6/4 Ensemble Intercontemporain (IRCAM): the Megaro welcomes one of the leading contemporary music groups in the world, which returns after many years to Athens to perform representative works of the avant-garde of the 20th century (Chamber Concerto by György Ligeti, Jalons by Iannis Xenakis, etc.).
7/4 Nikolai Lugansky (piano) – Athens State Orchestra: the Russian virtuoso performs Sergei Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth.
8 and 9/4 Les Grands Ballets Canadiens: (see Dancing in the Palace).
Piano Days
On the last weekend of January (28-29/1), Megaro organizes a celebration dedicated to the piano. A two-day event with concerts that will highlight the adaptability of the instrument to various types of music, with educational activities for young and old and with unexpected musical encounters. In this context, the Athens Concert Hall's collaboration with the Steinway Prizewinner Concerts Network (SPCN) is also being launched for the presentation of the winners of the most important international piano competitions in Athens. Among others, Jean-Louis Steuerman, Alexia Mouza, Achilleas Vastor, Nefeli Mousoura and Olga Davnis participate.
With an eye on the future
The Athens Concert Hall always highlights young artists from both the domestic and the international music scene. In addition to the importance he gives to the performances of young Greek soloists in the Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall, this season he is strengthening his international collaborations, with the aim of promoting new talents. In 2022-2023 we will have the opportunity to attend:
In the framework of the new cooperation of the Palace with Steinway (SPCN), the 18-year-old Russian Olga Davnis, who won the first prize at the famous Leipzig Bach Competition.
Three Rising Stars, in collaboration with the European Concert Hall Organization (ECHO): percussionist Vanessa Porter (9/2), violin virtuoso Diana Tishchenko (20/2) and the Aris String Quartet (8/3).
The winners of the international competition Nadia & Lili Boulanger, Paris (15/3).
The young musicians Ilias-Iona Livierato (viola), Timotheo Gavrielides-Petrin (cello) and Vassilis Varvaresos (piano), with whom Leonidas Kavakos collaborates in two chamber music concerts (12 and 14/2). It is a series of musical events based on an idea by L. Kavakos, which is implemented by the Megaro, a fact that practically proves its support and trust, for decades, in the new generations of artists.
Greek soloists in the Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall
The cycle of Greek soloists in the Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall continues in the 2022-23 artistic season, introducing us to the new, rising generation of Greek musicians and presenting accomplished soloists in chamber music works. Unique collaborations between unique musical personalities.
- 13/10 Alexandra Nomidou (piano) – Édua Zádory (violin) – Aare Tammesalu (cello).
- 17/10 Danai Kara – Aeolos Wind Quintet.
- 19/10 George Zacharias (violin) – Marios Panteliadis (piano).
- 22/11 Efi Agrafioti (piano) – Giorgos Kontrafouris (piano).
- 28/11 "The sea within and towards us" – Alexia Voulgaridou (soprano) – Korina Vougiouka (guitar)
- 7/12 Ilias Livieratos (viola) – Spyros Mourikis (clarinet) – Nefeli Mousoura (piano).
- 17/1 Uwe Matschke (piano) – Danai Papamattheiou-Matschke (violin) – Kerstin Feltz (cello).
- 6/2 Dimitris Tiliakos (baritone) – Titos Gouvelis (piano).
- 4/3 Dimitris Desyllas (percussion) – Vassilis Varvaresos (piano).
- 20/3 Aenaon Quartet – Myrsini Kagarli (piano).
- 28/3 Antonis Sousamoglou (violin) – Stamatis Vlachodimitris (piano).
- 26/4 Alexis Karaiskakis-Nastos (cello) – Alexandra Papastephanou (piano)
- 10/5 Alexandros Gavrielides-Petrin (violin) – Timotheus Gavrielides-Petrin (cello) – Kon/nos Destounis (piano).
- 24/5 Mina Polychronou (soprano) – Angeliki Kathariou (mezzo-soprano) – Dionysis Mallouchos (piano).
Old Music
"Ex Femina": a cycle of three early music performances, dedicated to women who left their mark on musical creation and practice.
16/2 Isabella d'Este: Theodora Baca (mezzo-soprano), Electra Miliadou (viola da gamba), Theodoros Kitsos (Renaissance lute, Renaissance guitar, artistic and musicological curation).
23/2 Isabella Leonarda: Fani Vovoni (baroque violin), Anji Kasda (baroque violin), Jasons Ioannou (baroque cello), Markellos Chrysikopoulos (church organ).
9/3 Barbara Strozzi: Eleni Moleski (playwright, actress), Elena Krasaki (mezzo-soprano), Fani Vovoni (baroque violin), Anji Kasda (baroque violin), Dimitris Tigas (violin), Marcellos Chrysikopoulos (church organ), Theodoros Kitsos ( theorve, artistic and musicological curation).
Adagio–Music for the Easter days
"Myrrh of the obituary" (10/4): a musical journey of the soul, with obituaries, through time and places. The main orchestra of Giorgos Kotsini, the orchestra of Katia Papadopoulou, the Polyphonic Five-piece Band of Epirus and others are participating.
"Missa Solemnis" (12/4) by Ludwig van Beethoven (co-production with KOA, Orchestra in Residence of the Palace): the solo vocal parts are performed by Karen Leiber (treble), Ingeborg Danz (melody), Jenish Ysmanov (tenor ) and Petros Magoulas (bass). Directed by Christoph Poppen. With them, the Choirs of ERT and the Municipality of Athens.
Theater
The curtain opens with Alfred Lord Tennysson's masterpiece "Enoch Arden" to the music of Richard Strauss (12 and 14/9), which is co-produced with the Municipal Theater of Piraeus. Directed by Lefteris Yovanidis. In the role of Narrator, Nikos Karathanos. On the piano, Thodoris Tzovanakis. With them, the soprano Anna Stylianaki.
The theatrical productions of the 2022-2023 artistic season also include the play "Full Moon" written and directed by Christoforos Christofis (16-21/12). The plot unfolds in Paris during the era of political émigrés in the 1970s, a time of widespread political and economic upheaval in America and Europe.
Magda Mavroyianni, creator of the musical analogies "Portraits of Women", presents on stage the life of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (13-14/2).
Also, the cooperation of the Mansion with the Drama School of the Athens Conservatory continues. This year, theatergoers will watch the performance "Awkwardness, a way to fail" directed by Ilias Kounela (22 and 23/10).
Greek singers
Series of concerts with great Greek singers.
Dionysis Savvopoulos, "I was born in Thessaloniki" (10/12): well-loved songs in new arrangements for symphonic ensemble. This cycle also includes the concert of Manolis Mitsias (4/2), the partnership of Maria Faradouri with Alcinoos Ioannidis (the date will be announced) and the new appearance of Dimitra Galani (10/2) at Megaro, with favorite songs for love.
Bridges
The popular Gefyres cycle, for another year, includes productions from the entire musical spectrum. Alexandra Gravas presents a multicultural evening of songs from her musical travels around the world. The talent of the members of the Xylouris musical family meets the excellent technique of the Dutch Nederlands Blazers Ensemble (26/10), while at the event "In Greco's Hall" the composer Christos Tzifakis, in the aura of the philosophy and aesthetics of our great painter but and Kazantzakis, creates a colorful, attractive bridge of dance and music between Crete and Spain. With the participation of the ERT Contemporary Music Orchestra (6/5).
At the same time, the highly successful Animegaron initiatives (24/2), in collaboration with Animasyros, as well as the Open Platforms, in partnership with the Union of Beneficiaries of Music Works – EDEM, continue dynamically.
World music
Eight well-known virtuosos participate in the musical marathon "The Oud in Greece" (24/11), conceptualized and musically edited by Taxiarchis Georgoulis.
The "international" Greek jazz player Petros Klabanis (double bass) collaborates with the Grammy-winning Pakistani singer Aroof Aftab in her first appearance in Greece (13/3). The women's choir chóρεs participates.
The Children's Palace
The program of events, aimed at the little friends of the Palace and their families, is richer than ever.
The world's most famous shipwrecked man, Robinson Crusoe, is the protagonist of the eponymous musical theater performance for the whole family presented for the first time at Megaro (new production), directed by Tatiana Lygaris and adapted by Giorgos Galitis, from October 2022 to April 2023. A wonderful children's show, full of humor, with impressive interactive projections, with original music by Mina I. Alexiadis – performed live on stage – and inventive sets and costumes by Yiannis Metzikofs.
Sunday concerts for the whole family: in the performance "Haydn shut up" (6/11), Nadia Kontogeorgi, accompanied by the ERT Symphony Orchestra, will tell the fascinating story of the creation of Symphony no. 45 by the great Austrian musician. The popular actress and the ERT Symphony Orchestra will also perform Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream (date to be announced), a composition based on William Shakespeare's famous play.
The Athens International Film Festival for Children and Adolescents (14-20/11) renews its annual appointment with young viewers and their families and promises a rich program of screenings.
Finally, Ilias Karellas, after last year's success of "The Sound of Shadows", welcomes us for the second year in this original educational spectacle aimed at children of all ages (Oct. 2022-Apr. 2023). In the performance "Karagiozis in the music competitions", in the lighted stage we will meet the giant figures of Karagiozis and his company, while we will hear sounds of the past and sounds of today, intense rhythms and enchanting melodies. Musical companion of H. Karellas, Areti Ketime (voice, santouri).
Educational actions
Throughout the season, every weekend, the Megaro proposes actions for young and old (families, children, teenagers, adults, schools), which, thanks to the experiential and interdisciplinary contact with music and its conversation with other arts, introduce us to a magical world. He invites us to get to know the musical instruments, to attend concerts, narrations, screenings, to take part in workshops, to tour his premises, to discover his professions, to meet contributors to the events of the artistic program.
Documentary show
After the screening of the film "Smyrni, the destruction of a cosmopolitan city", this year another historical documentary by Maria Ilios, the film "Athens from the East to the West, 1821-1896" (4-5/11) is shown at the Megaro. The director, historical consultant Alexandros Kitroef and their collaborators unfold the fascinating story of the transformation of Athens, in a documentary that was first presented in 2020 at the Benaki Museum for a few days due to the pandemic.
Production: Proteus & Proteus NY Inc. Sponsors of the documentary: Jaharis Family Foundation, Pindaros Foundation, Daphne & George Hatsopoulos, Coumantaros Foundation, Moscahlaidis Foundation, Anonymous Donor. Under the auspices of the Municipality of Athens.
Orchestras in Residence
And in this artistic season, the State Orchestra of Athens (KOA) and the Hellenic Youth Symphony Orchestra (ELSON) will be with us with concerts that highlight well-known and unknown pages of the international and Greek ergography.
See more at Megaro...
- The musical event "Memory of Asia Minor", a co-production of Megaros and the Athens Philharmonic Orchestra (10/11).
- The concert of the vocal group MEIZON Ensemble, in an imaginative program with original works or arranged especially for male voices a cappella (21/11).
- Nikos Xanthoulis' seven-string ancient Greek lyre recital with original works by Greek and foreign composers (28/2).
- annexM–The center for the visual arts of the Palace
- The new exhibition by Giorgos Xenos (b. 1953), curated by Anna Cafetsis, is designed around the idea of a closed-open archive of images, sounds and concepts, which is hidden and revealed as a scene and as a blanket. Public "murals" alternate with painted miniatures and inaccessible blueprint archives. Archetypal images of the house and empty interiors, labyrinths, face-numbers, shadows, primordial cryptic writings, riddles and mythical symbols create intimate and disturbing dream topographies of confinement and freedom, interiority and contemplation, in black and white. The dream, with its Freudian meaning, an incomprehensible writing in images freed from compulsions, finds its visual analogue in the works of Giorgos Xenos. His painting as a place of meditation seeks the thought that would dream (Dec. 2022-Feb. 2023).
Info: Tickets 210 72 82 333, megaron.gr
Source: news247.gr