Great expectations for concert at the Athens Concert Hall
Christopher Warren-Green, conductor of the London Philharmonia and, since September 2004, the principal conductor (with Alexandros Myrat) of the Camerata Friends of Music Orchestra, will be in Athens on October 7. He will be conducting the Camerata in the Dimitris Mitropoulos room of the Athens Concert Hall in a program that includes Handel’s Concerto Grosso 6 in C Major, Stravinsky’s «Apollon Mousagete» and Giorgos Koumentakis’s «Imerologhion Engkleismou,» with Giorgos Lazaridis playing solo piano. In June, Lazaridis played the same piece during Musical July at the Little Theater of Ancient Epidaurus with a live video showing the pianist’s hands on the keys, an idea that came from Dimitris Papaioannou. This time we will be able to pay attention to the music of the young but already highly regarded Koumentakis, who was responsible for the music played at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Tomorrow, Koumentakis has been invited by the Association of Friends and Graduates of the Rethymnon Music School to present some of his work at the Rethymnon Odeum (Neratze Mosque). After he speaks there will be a performance of his works «Mediterranean Desert,» «The Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales» and «The Couple» from the Games’ opening ceremony, compositions that instantly became popular. To return to the British conductor, Warren-Green started his career as a violinist, joined the Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields at the age of 19 and became concert master at the London Philharmonia at the age of 24. Recently he has been absorbed in creating his own orchestra, the London Chamber Orchestra, whose patron is Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. Warren-Green conducted the Philharmonia for her wedding to Prince Charles last spring. On the evening of the concert in Athens, painter Nicholas Egon and his wife Matti, true lovers of music, will give a dinner for 50 Greek and foreign music-lovers, mainly diplomats and celebrities, at which Warren-Green – whom Helbi met and photographed at the Egon’s house on Deinocratous Street- and Koumentakis will be present.
