Concert of the Athens State Orchestra – Chania 18th September
The Athens State Orchestra continues its events within the framework of the 5th Festival of Crete and of the Ministry of Culture’s Mikis Theodorakis Commemorative Year, for the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great composer.
WHEN: Thursday, 18th September at 21.00
WHERE: Giali Tzamisi Square, (behind the Mosque) Venetian Harbour, Chania
Free entrance.
The Athens State Orchestra presents two of Mikis Theodorakis’ best-known works:
the song cycle Mauthausen, based on the poetry of Iakovos Kambanellis,
and the emblematic the Ballet Suite Zorbas, orchestrated by Dimitris Michas.
The Ballad of Mauthausen is a deeply moving tribute to the victims of the Holocaust .
Zorbas, a representative literary hero of the Greek soul, freedom and the power of life, offers a counterweight full of rhythm and passion.
SOLOIST: Margarita Syngeniotou | mezzo-soprano
MUSIC DIRECTION: Tasos Symeonidis
About the MAUTHAUSEN SONG CYCLE:
The Mauthausen song cycle is one of the most important works of Greek
musical creation, the result of the collaboration between the composer Mikis Theodorakis and the
poet and Holocaust survivor Iakovos Kambanellis. The work is based on
four poems by Kambanellis, written on the occasion of his experiences as a prisoner
in the Nazi concentration camp Mauthausen during World War II.
The lyrics tell, in a lyrical and moving way, the savagery of the camp,
but also the endurance, hope and human dignity, which survive even
in the most inhumane conditions. Theodorakis’ music enhances the power of the lyrics,
composing a deeply anti-war and universal work, which continues to move and
inspiring.
The cycle was first presented in 1966, with Maria Farantouri as the performer,
and since then it is considered a milestone both in Theodorakis’ artistic career and in
the contemporary Greek cultural heritage.
The work will be presented in the orchestration of Yiannis Samprovalakis.
About the BALLET SUITE ZORBAS:
An integral component of the enormous commercial success of Michalis Cacoyannis’ film Zorba the Greek was, in addition to Kazantzakis’ masterpiece itself, the excellent performances of the protagonists (especially the exuberant Anthony Quinn) and Cacoyannis’ inspired direction, the sensational music composed by Mikis Theodorakis.
Ten years after this cinematic triumph of 1964, the composer returned to the film’s music, transforming and enriching it into a ballet that was successfully submitted to the Verona Festival.
The Ballet Suite is built on some of the most recognizable themes of the music that ideally describes the haughty and unpredictable “wise” Alexis Zorba, spearheaded, of course, by the well-known “Syrtaki”.
The success and unparalleled recognition of Theodorakis’ music lies in its simplicity and sincerity, as well as its captivating descriptive power
Source: chania-culture.gr
