The Olympia City Music Theatre “Maria Callas” honors the 1,000 years of the Church of the Holy Trinity – Panagia Sotira Lykodimou (the Russian Church), a historic landmark in the heart of Athens, with a special concert by the Athens Municipality Symphony Orchestra.
The program moves from Greek neoclassicism to contemporary spirituality, opening with Antiochos Evangelatos’ Byzantine Melody for string orchestra, a work inspired by both folk and Byzantine traditions. It continues with At the Monastery, the final movement of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Second String Quartet, arranged for string orchestra by Andreas Tselikas.
In his Three Pieces in Old Style for string orchestra, Henryk Górecki draws upon themes from Polish Renaissance music. Next comes the dazzling Harp Concerto in B-flat major, Op. 4 No. 6, by George Frideric Handel, featuring Evaggelia Kiosoglou as soloist, followed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s lyrical Elegy in G major for string orchestra, a superb example of romantic expression.
The concert concludes with the monumental Berliner Messe for mixed choir and string orchestra by Arvo Pärt, presented for the first time in Greece.