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Apollo’s lyra meets opera hits and rewritten at the Greek Art Music Festival

By on March 11, 2018

On March 17, the Greek Art Music Festival is organized on Musikaliska. It is the third time that the association of Greek Art Music in Sweden arranges the festival that focuses on four major women this year; the poets Sapfo and Kiki Dimoula, all artist Melina Mercouri and world soprano Maria Callas, who are celebrated in an opera gala together with Blåsarsymfonikerna. The festival consists of three concerts, all of which are held in Musikaliska’s premises on Nybrokajen.

Timeless poetry March 17 at 15:00
Instrumental music and poetry unite when the Greek composer and musician Nikos Xanthouli composes Sapfos poems from antiquity to Kiki Dimola’s reflections of the present. The music of Sapfos poems is performed on “Apollon’s lyra”, the ancient instrument that gets to sound again after 1600 years of silence. Nikos Xanthoulis about the ancient lyra:

– Since the lyra is not a chromatic instrument without diatonic, another philosophy is required in composing. You are restricted to using antique modus like doric, lydic, mixolydic and others. Of course, my contemporary western music education has characterized me, but thanks to studies of ancient music theory, my compositions are close to the ancient music ideal. This is really the only thing that separates the Sapfo songs compared to the compositions of Kiki Dimola’s poetry. The two poems are deeply rooted in the theme of love, which has been the common benchmark of my compositions. The song lyrics are recited in Swedish by Stina Ekblad.

Starring: Stina Ekblad, recitation – Nikos Xanthoulis, lyra and piano – Maria Stellas, song – Chrysanna Strataki, song – Matoula Zachariadou, violin – Maria Zachariadou, cello

Undetected labyrinths March 17 at 16:00
Curious Chamber Players premiere Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri’s newly written works Contacts (2017/2018) and enter into a labyrinth of exciting sounds and unexplored rhythms composed by Spiropoulos, Xenakis, Kokoras and Papatrechas. Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandris about her newly written piece:

– The work explores microsounds in different materials through physical interaction with reinforced motors and other play tools. The music is about creating a focused listening of small changes in clang and sounds, and the tactile poetics that occur when hands touches different materials and chisels out the friction in the surfaces.

Starring: Curious Chamber Players: Martin Welander, Percussion – Dries Tack, Clarinet – My Hellgren, Cello – Hannah Törnell Wettermark, Flute – Anna Christensson, Piano – Sofie Thorsbro Dan, Violin – Malin Bång, Object – Conductor: Rei Munakata

Callas In Memoriam – Operagala in memory of Maria Callas March 17 at 6 pm
In the concert ‘Callas in Memoriam’, Blåsarsymfonikerna and opera soloists are led by Merete Ellegaard in a tribute to the Greek world soprano Maria Callas. On the repertoire, some of the opera world’s greatest hits, written by, among others, Puccini, Bellini and Rossini, and music by Greek composers like Karrer and Theodorakis, are featured.

Contributors: Soloists: Cecilia Lindwall, Soprano – Katerina Roussou, Mezzosoprano – Johanna Nilsson, Oboe – Blåsarsymfonikerna – Conductor: Merete Ellegaard

Within the festival’s frame, there is also a photo exhibition about Melina Mercouri on Musikaliska and Swedish Premiere of the documentary film Our Own Maria Callas (2017) by Babis Tsokas, which will be featured at the Film House on May 6, 2018.

Helena Olofsson, Culture & Music | Stockholm
MyGuide2Stockholm