Prominent maestro to perform
The Athens Concert Hall is preparing to welcome one of the greatest contemporary conductors, Marek Janowski, who will give two concerts with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande over the weekend. The German maestro, who is of Polish descent, will conduct works by Dutilleux, Beethoven, Franck and Brahms. The program will feature Henri Dutilleux’s work «Metaboles» and Beethoven’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 61 both on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Janowski will also lead the orchestra in Cesar Franck’s Symphony in D minor, while Sunday will feature Johannes Brahms’s Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90. Born in Warsaw in 1939 and raised in Wuppertal, Janowski studied at the Music Academy in Cologne. In 1984 he was appointed Music Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, a position he kept for 16 years. Since 2002 Janowski has served as chief conductor and artistic director of Berlin’s Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester and he has worked with symphony orchestras all over Europe, Asia and America. His most successful interpretations include «Der Ring Des Nibelungen» with the Dresden Staatskapelle, Karl Maria von Weber’s opera «Euryanthe» and Richard Strauss’s opera «Die Schweigsame Frau.» The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande was founded in 1918 by top Swiss conductor Ernest Ansermet, who remained its conductor up to 1967. The orchestra, which consists of 112 musicians, performs every year in Geneva and Lausanne and always gives an annual concert for the UN. Right from the start, the ensemble has actively supported contemporary composers, including Claude Debussy, Benjamin Britten and Igor Stravinsky. Beethoven’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra will see the participation of acclaimed violinist Nikolaj Znaider, who has collaborated with distinguished orchestras including the Berlin, Vienna and New York philharmonics, among others, as well as conductors such as Daniel Barenboim and Kurt Masur. Athens Concert Hall, 1 Kokkali & Vassilissis Sofias, tel 210.728.2333. The concerts will take place at the Friends of Music Hall at 8.30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
