From Classicism to the present day: A Symphonic Journey with the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra -

Conceived as a musical journey beginning with the Classical era, passing through the Romantic 19th century and arriving at the present day, the programme of the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra’s upcoming concert continues the “Symphonic Evenings” Series at the Ioannis Despotopoulos Amphitheatre.

On the final day of the month, the Orchestra’s Artistic Director, conductor Byron Fidetzis, will lead the rarely performed Overture Heimkehr aus der Fremde (Op. 89) by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. This early work, composed when Mendelssohn was just twenty years old, was not publicly performed until 1851, after his death.

The programme continues with the highly expressive Three Songs for Soprano and String Orchestra by Giorgos Zervos, written just two years ago to poetry by Greek women poets. The work was originally conceived for string quartet; the composer later created the version for string orchestra. The soloist will be soprano Fani Antonelou.

The first half concludes with the celebrated and much-loved Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, K. 218, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by the outstanding violinist Konstantinos Loustas, a member of the Orchestra.

In the second half, Fidetzis will conduct for the first time with the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra one of the most dynamic symphonies by Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 95 in C minor, from the London Symphonies, composed in 1791. Although the eldest of the three great Viennese Classical composers, Haydn was distinguished by unparalleled vitality and youthful ardour. Through the inventiveness and variety of his music, he influenced not only his contemporaries but also later composers. Among them was Johannes Brahms, who composed a beautiful set of orchestral Variations on a Theme by Haydn, a work that combines Classical clarity with Romantic richness of orchestral colour.