Concert in memory of Christos D. Lambrakis (1934–2009)
Piano | Matthias Lademann
Conductor | Markellos Chrysikopoulos
Saturday 6 November | 20:30
Christos Lambrakis Hall
Sponsored by WORLD IN HARMONY
The Greek public’s favourite soprano Marlis Petersen returns to the stage of Christos Lambrakis Hall on Saturday, November 6 at 8:30 pm, in a concert dedicated to the memory of Christos Lambrakis (1934-2009), founder of the Megaron the Athens Concert Hall.
On this emotionally charged evening, the internationally acclaimed soprano will honour in her own way Christos Lambrakis’ deep devotion to the lyrical repertoire, singing arias from famous operas by Haendel, songs and old Italian arias, as well as concerto arias and songs for voice and piano by Mozart and other composers.
Her companions on this journey are internationally acclaimed pianist Mattias Lademann and the Musicians of Camerata-Orchestra of the Friends of Music (an ensemble founded in 1991, at the initiative of Chr. Lambrakis). The well-known Athenian ensemble will also present instrumental excerpts from popular pre-Classical works by Haendel, Porpora and Vivaldi. At the podium, Markellos Chrysikopoulos. The violin soloist, in the aria of Amida “L’amerò”, from Mozart’s Il re pastore (“The King shepherd”), will be Sergiu Nastasa.
The concert is part of the Great Soloists cycle and of the series of events to celebrate Megaron’s 30th anniversary, and is sponsored by the non-profit organisation World in Harmony.
Presale has started!
German soprano Marlis Petersen…
… is one of the most sought-after lyrical sopranos of our time. She has distinguished herself in roles of the contemporary repertoire.
After her triumphant debut as a Lulu at the Vienna State Opera, she started collaborating regularly with some of the world’s greatest lyrical theatres, such as the Paris Opera, Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, the Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Vienna State Operas, the Theater an der Wien, the New York Metropolitan Opera, the Los Angeles Opera, the Chicago Lyric Opera, and others. She also appears frequently at the Salzburg and Aix-en-Provence Festivals.
Her repertoire is wide-ranging. Among other roles, she has sung the role of Marietta (in Korngold’s Dead City), as well as the leading roles in Haendel’s Alcina, in the operas Manon and Thais by Massenet, and in Verdi’s Traviata, as well as the role of Electra in Mozart’s Idomeneo. Her performances in lyrical works by Richard Strauss (Salome in the opera of the same name and The Marshalline in Der Rosenkavalier – “The Knight of the Rose”) caused a particular sensation.
As a soloist, she has given recitals and concerts in famous halls, and also sang at the opening ceremony of the Elbe Philharmonic Hall (Hamburg).
During the 2019-2020 artistic season, he was Artist in Residence of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2020, she was awarded for the fourth time the title “Singer of the Year” by the Opernwelt magazine, for her performance as Salome at the Theater an der Wien. In the same year, she won the OPUS KLASSIK award for her album Dimensionen: INNENWELT.
In 2021, she was awarded the title “Kammersängerin” by the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.
During this year’s artistic season, the public will have the opportunity to see in her long-awaited first appearance as Emilia Marty in The Makropoulos Affair by Leoš Janáček (at the Berlin State Opera), and as The Marshalline in the revival of the opera Der Rosenkavalier (“The Knight of the Rose”) by Richard Strauss (at the Bavarian State Opera).
Pianist Matthias Lademann…
… was a student at the Carl Maria von Weber Higher School of Music in Dresden when he discovered his passion for chamber music and the pianistic accompaniment of lyrical singers, two genres on which he has focused his artistic interests after defecting from the former GDR in 1989.
He is based in Vienna since 1997. For many years, he was an artistic associate of the famous German tenor Siegfried Jerusalem, and has also accompanied many other famous singers. Among them were Diana Damrau, Edita Gruberová, Paul Armin Edelmann, Mathias Hausmann, Sibylla Rubens, Chen Reiss, Günther Groissböck, Daniela Fally, Robert Holl and Robert Dean Smith.
He has appeared in some of the most famous symphonic centres and theatres in the world (Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Musikverein in Vienna, Semperoper in Dresden, Philharmonie and Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin, Carnegie Hall in New York and La Scala in Milan, and others). He is also frequently invited to major international festivals in Germany, Austria and other countries.
His numerous recordings include, among others, the live recording of his recital with Diana Damrau (Salzburg Festival, 2005), the world premieres of Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn (“The Boy’s Magic Horn”) in its original form for piano, and Das Lied von der Erde (“The Song of the Earth”) in its version for tenor, baritone and piano, a digital album with Italian songs in collaboration with soprano Chen Reiss, and the first CD (2018) of the Dimensionen trilogy with Marlis Petersen, which won the Diapason d’Or recording award in France.
The Musicians of Camerata – Orchestra of the Friends of Music…
… are today one of the most active artistic organisations in Greek cultural life. Their diverse and prolific activity and their reputation in Greece and abroad, not only place them among the most important pillars of our country’s artistic life, but also make them stand out as probably the most distinguished ambassadors of Greece’s music production internationally. The Orchestra, known outside Greece under its international name Armonia Atenea –which also suggests its Athenian origins– has over the years built a remarkable activity, so much so that the international press often refers to it as “the Greek miracle” (Neue Zürchner Zeitung) or “the antidote to the crisis” (Die Welt, Daily Telegraph). Armonia Atenea is today considered internationally as one of the leading ensembles specialising in historical interpretations with period instruments.
Markellos Chryssicos…
… studied harpsichord in the class of Margarita Dalmati at the Vinianelli School of Athens, from which he received his diploma obtaining top marks by unanimous vote, the 1st prize and the School’s award for excellence. He continued his music studies in Paris with Romeo and Baumont, and at Salzburg’s Mozarteum with Gilbert and Rampe, completing them at the Geneva Conservatoire (Prix de virtuosité avec distinction) with Christiane Jaccottet, of whom he was the last student. He has participated as assistant conductor in many award-winning recordings (in the MDG, SONY and DECCA labels) with George Petrou as conductor. He is a founding member of the early music ensembles Ex Silentio and Latinitas Nostra, with which he has recorded and presented in a stage form pre-classical works (at the Athens Festival, Megaron, the Alternative Stage of the Greek National Opera), as well as original productions based on the mariage of Baroque with other kinds of music (Byzantine, Ottoman, electronic, etc.). He has conducted the Venice Baroque Orchestra in a two-CD album on Metastasio’s L’Olimpiade (“The Olympiad”, issued by the Naïve label) which won the international distinction Choc de la Musique. As a conductor, he has collaborated repeatedly with Camerata, the Athens State Orchestra and the State Symphony Orchestra of Thessaloniki, and with numerous ensembles abroad (Irish Baroque Orchestra, Bach Consort Wien etc.). He opened the 2017-2018 Kammeroper season in Vienna, conducting the opera Arianna in Nasso (“Ariadne in Naxos”) by Porpora and, the following year, Purcell’s The Tempest. He has appeared as conductor at the Theater an der Wien, Wigmore Hall, Bayreuth Opera House and the Händel-Festspiele in Halle. He curated and presented the regular radio programme “Palimpsest” at the Greek State Radio’sThird Programme.
Educational programmes directly related to the artistic programme
FOR ADULTS
Sunday 7 November
Masterclass with Marlis Petersen
Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall
MASTERCLASSES
Megaron is organising a series of masterclasses with leading soloists, hosted again this year in its artistic programme. They are addressed to young musicians, graduates from or in their final year of studies at conservatoires and University music studies departments, who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the secrets of musical interpretation and of the technique of their musical instruments. Participants will have the opportunity to work with major artists active internationally and benefit from their knowledge and experience. The masterclasses will also be open to an audience.
For interested musicians
Participation details: +30 210 7282728
For the audience
Free entrance with priority pass (online reservation)
Members of the audience must arrive no later than 30 minutes before the start of the programme
Ticket prices
€ 11 (students, young persons up to 25, unemployed, persons with disabilities, 65+, families having many children) ● € 16 ● € 26 ● € 34 ● € 42 ● € 52 ● € 60
Duration
90 minutes (without intermission)
All applicable health protection measures will be observed. For details, see here:
Tickets
210 72 82 333, megaron.gr
and in all shops of the Public chain