Stories from the voice of Alkistis Protopsalti
Five years have elapsed since the eminent Greek singer Alkistis Protopsalti first appeared at the Athens Concert Hall and now, on January 14, 15 and 16, she will be appearing at the venue again. The three shows which she is scheduled to present feature a plethora of music and imaginative stage lighting which Protopsalti and her partners have been working on since last May. Titled «Tales of a Voice,» the shows belong to the Concert Hall’s successful Bridges Series, combining Protopsalti’s rock-influenced band with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the 30-member local Fon Musicalis choir. Protopsali, who has worked with a number of famous orchestras in the past, said in an interview with Kathimerini: «I am overjoyed. I love mixing the contemporary with the classical. On the one hand I will be on stage with the same rock band with which I have been performing over the past few years, and on the other, I will be with a large symphony orchestra.» The program she is planning to present is rich with the music of a number of composers, which, she says, she picked «through the soul and heart.» Included are songs penned by Nikos Antypas, Dimitra Galani, Stamatis Kraounakis, Thanos Mikroutsikos, Evanthia Reboutsika, Manos Hadjidakis and many more that, she says, she finally felt ready to interpret. At the Concert Hall, Protopsalti will also be singing in foreign languages – English, French and Spanish – for the first time with a selection of arias by, among others, Andrew Lloyd Webber. The band and orchestra will be conducted Frantecik Prisler Junior – an experienced conductor at mixed classical and rock concerts – while the Fon Musicalis choir will be led by Costis Konstandaras. The impressive light show has been designed by Alain Lochampt. These three concerts will be the last Protopsalti will be giving this season as she plans to retire to her recording studio, preparing a new album which includes, among others, the signatures of Iasis, Going Through, Galani and Kraounakis.
