From Strasbourg to Athens, music for the right cause
One of Europe’s greatest orchestras, famous for its superlative sound, is the historic Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, which will be playing in Athens on Sunday and Monday at the Herod Atticus Theater, conducted by Jan Latham-Koenig. The two concerts are in aid of MDA Hellas, the association for people suffering from muscular dystrophy, specifically for the foundation of the first unit for neuromuscular disorders at the Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital. «The Hellenic Festival supports the humanitarian dimension of art,» said the festival’s president, Periklis Koukos, at a press conference this week. The program combines works by Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Cesar Franck, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Nikos Skalkottas, with soloists Yiannis Vakarelis and Elena Mouzala. Founded in 1855, the orchestra has been conducted by such famous composers as Berlioz, Brahms, Saint-Saens and Richard Strauss. «It is particularly moving for an artist to be playing with an orchestra that is 150 years old,» said pianist Mouzala, who is to play Camille Saint-Saens’s Concerto No. 2 on Sunday. «It is one of the most important works in the piano repertoire, and it means a lot to me, because my international career took off from the first time I played,» she said. The first evening also includes Skalkottas’s «Five Greek Dances for Orchestra,» Claude Debussy’s «Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune,» and Ravel’s «Daphnis et Chloe,» with the participation of the Athens Festival Choir conducted by Antonis Kondogeorgiou. Monday evening begins with Saint-Saens’s «Phaethon,» followed by Rachmaninoff’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2, with Vakarelis at the piano, and Cesar Franck’s Symphony in D minor. Musical July Events continue at Musical July this weekend, the annual summer concert series at the Little Theater of Epidaurus, part of the Hellenic Festival this year (previously they were organized by the Athens Concert Hall). As part of the «Romantic Journeys Through Europe» cycle, renowned Greek soloist Dimitris Sgouros takes the stage tonight and tomorrow. In tonight’s concert the pianist will interpret Frederic Chopin’s Sonata No. 3 in B minor, opus 58, Franz Liszt’s Sonata in B minor and the Mephisto Waltz No. 1, «At the Village Inn.» Tomorrow’s concert features Johannes Brahms’s «Variations on a Theme by Paganini,» Books I and II, opus 35, Maurice Ravel’s «Gaspar de la Nuit,» and Mily Balakirev’s «Islamey» (Oriental Fantasy). Visitors to Ancient Epidaurus will also have a chance to visit the town port, where the annual display of local products includes olive oil and wine. The Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra at the Herod Atticus Theater, Dionysiou Areopagitou, Acropolis, tel 010.323.2771, 010.323.5582. Sunday and Monday at 9 p.m. Dimitris Sgouros at the Little Theater of Epidaurus. Tonight and tomorrow. For both events, tickets can be purchased at the festival’s central box office at 39 Panepistimiou, tel 010.322.1459. Monday-Friday 8.30 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. – 2.30 p.m.
