PAIN and EROS

Almost 70 years after its premiere in Athens, we experience the German premiere of Mikis Theodorakis' Symphony No. 1. This expressive composition has a dramatic history of creation. This expressive composition has a dramatic history of creation: the seething sounds of this work reveal the suffering, hope and longing for freedom that the 25-year-old composer felt when he wrote this work on the prison island Makronisos. This contrasts with Ektoras Tartanis' own symphonic first work Erato Psaltrian, for baritone, harp and orchestra; three movements titled Birth, Journey and Celebration. Tartanis introduces us to the world of Greek mythology, the tradition of Byzantine chants and at the same time into contemporary soundscapes. The piece was created for Anneleen Lenaerts, harpist of the Wiener Philharmoniker, who performs the work together with the internationally acclaimed Swedish baritone Kosma Ranuer Kroon.