Megaron agenda widens appeal
Everything from exhibitions, showcases, the Princess Christine of Holland Awards, Chinese acrobats, George Dalaras and Agnes Baltsa concerts and a whole lot more seems to have a place in the Athens Concert Hall’s 2007-2008 season, according to the recent release of the program. In this, its 17th season, the Athens Concert Hall will host symphonic music orchestras, acclaimed interpreters from Greece and abroad, opera spanning all eras (such as Alexander von Zemlinsky’s «The Dwarf» and Arnold Schoenberg’s «Erwartung»), epic productions that will be presented to the Greek public for the first time (such as Gioachino Rossini’s «L’italiana in Algeri,» directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnell and featuring Agnes Baltsa), piano festivals (directed by Yiannis Vakarelis), dance festivals (4th Balkan Dance Platform), the city of Berlin and art ensembles from every corner of the globe, as well as an acrobatic troupe from China. Greek music will also be present next season, with tributes and recitals scheduled for the Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall. In the Bridges series, which is managed by Dimitris Marangopoulos, Greek music will cross over with jazz. The section will feature three tributes: «Antonis Kaloyiannis – 40 Years» (featuring Maria Farantouri and Georges Moustaki), a theatrical retrospective on the history of rebetiko music with George Dalaras and a tribute to Nikos Kypourgos. Dance aficionados are also in for a few treats, for apart from the Balkan Dance Platform, they will also be given the opportunity to see the work of Jan Fabre with the Nederlands Dans Theater. Young artists will get their day too, as the Rising Stars and Megaron for Youth series will feature new and award-winning artists, master classes with headline names and cut-price Sunday matinee concerts. The Great Orchestras series will feature the London Symphony, WDR Symphony, Royal Philharmonic of Stockholm, the Salzburg Camerata and the French Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Among the great interpreters invited to the Athens Concert Hall are classical pianists Alfred Brendel and Oleg Maisenberg, maestro Stephen Kovacevich and cellist Han-Na Chang. Another first this year will be a tribute to a European metropolis, and the city of Berlin will be represented through exhibitions and other events.
