Athens Epidaurus Festival 2025: Teodor Currentzis Conducts Mahler at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus

An exceptional concert of rare intensity, emotion and grandeur, under the summer stars of Epidaurus

On July 19, the Athens Epidaurus Festival welcomes the internationally acclaimed and multi-award-winning conductor Teodor Currentzis to the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, for an evening charged with emotion and musical brilliance. In this one-of-a-kind concert, the celebrated Greek maestro will lead Utopia, the orchestra he founded, in two masterpieces by Gustav Mahler: Songs on the Death of Children and Symphony No. 4.

This event is not only of significant artistic importance – it is also an exceptionally rare musical occurrence for this iconic ancient theatre.

The evening opens with Songs on the Death of Children, a deeply moving song cycle Mahler composed in 1905, based on five poems by the German poet Friedrich Rückert. In this performance, mezzo-soprano Eve-Maud Hubeaux brings the raw poignancy of the piece to life, capturing its themes of loss and longing. The music’s quiet intensity, haunted by a foreshadowing of Mahler’s own grief after the death of his young daughter, is relieved only at the very end, where the final measures offer a sense of release, even redemption.

The concert continues with Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, the last of the so-called “Wunderhorn” symphonies, composed in 1900. From the unsettled and enigmatic first movement to the dark, danse macabre of the second, followed by a majestic and solemn Adagio, the symphony culminates in a luminous finale. A simple, childlike song becomes the gateway to a celestial vision—a child’s serene glimpse into a heavenly realm.

This concert is made possible through a generous grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

A few words about Teodor Currentzis

Those who experienced the unforgettable performance of Mahler’s Third Symphony at the sold-out Odeon of Herodes Atticus in the summer of 2023 still carry its powerful resonance. Currentzis’s magnetic presence and profound musical sensibility have long been entwined with Mahler’s emotionally vast soundscape.

Founder and Artistic Director of the Utopia orchestra, as well as founder and Music Director of the renowned musicAeterna Orchestra and Choir, and Chief Conductor of the SWR Symphony Orchestra (Southwest German Radio), Teodor Currentzis began his music studies in Athens and continued at the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory under the legendary Ilya Musin.

A conductor of exceptional charisma and vision, he has appeared on the world’s leading stages and collaborated with top-tier orchestras. His recordings have earned numerous international awards, and his interpretations are known for their intensity, daring originality, and emotional impact – qualities that have earned him a unique place in the realm of classical music.

---

SNF: Lead Donor of the Epidaurus Anniversary Program

As Lead Donor of the Epidaurus Anniversary Program, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) supports four major artistic productions marking the 70th anniversary of the Athens Epidaurus Festival:
– Antigone (June 27, 28 & 29)
– Oedipus: A Transformation from Darkness to Light (July 25 & 26)
– The Oath of Europe (August 1 & 2)
– and the concert of Utopia Orchestra conducted by Teodor Currentzis, featuring works by Gustav Mahler (July 19).