The 2014 Saronic Chamber Music Festival will open on the island of Spetses at the Poseidonion Grand Hotel. From the 4th until the 10th of August the ensemble will travel from the island of Spetses to Hydra, Poros and finally to Galatas, performing a selection of chamber music works ranging from the baroque to the modern era. This year the festival is made possible by the kind support of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. At the heart of the programme are two masterpieces of the romantic period: the Piano Quintet by Antonin Dvořák and the String Sextet No. 1 in B flat by Johannes Brahms. The programme will also include works by J. S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn, Arnold Schoenberg and Iannis Xenakis.
The Saronic Chamber Music Festival is a unique artistic meeting where a group of passionate musicians and friends come together to express and explore the music they love most in this inspiring landscape. Because of the generous support of it’s sponsors and all the musicians who donate their time, this festival is able to bring the finest musicians to the Saronic region at the lowest possible price to the public (tickets €10, children free, last concert (10.8) free). The festival directors are passionate about the idea of stimulating the local economy through culture and making these concerts accessible to a diverse audience.
The Leondari Ensemble is comprised of world-class musicians from Europe, North America and Australia who perform regularly with many of the world’s most renowned ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, ARC Ensemble, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Vienna Piano Trio. We are joined this year by a special guest artist - Canadian pedagogue, founding member of the Zebra Sting Trio and ex-principal violist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Steven Dann.
The Leondari Ensemble: Benjamin Bowman, one of Canada’s most versatile musicians, is a member of the critically acclaimed chamber music group, the ARC Ensemble, and has spent this season as guest concertmaster with the American Ballet Theatre (NYC); Bogdan Božović is the violinist of the Vienna Piano Τrio; James Barralet has recently released a recording of Brahms’ music for cello and piano and is the artistic director of the Whittington Chamber Music Festival (UK); Rebekka Markowski is a member of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and works often in the cello section of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra; award-winning recorded German pianist, Caspar Frantz, is a director of Berlin's contemporary music festival 'Zeitkunst' and is artistic advisor to the Saronic Chamber Music Festival. The Saronic Chamber Music Festival is directed by Greek violinist Jannis Agraniotis and Australian violist Francis Kefford. Jannis is a regular performer with the Greek National Opera, he has appeared in all of the major Greek concert halls and as a recitalist and chamber musician in Germany. Francis is a frequent performer with the UK’s leading orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Opera House Orchestra, the Aurora Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra.
We are delighted to welcome as guests: Greek percussionist Alexandros Giovanos, a recent graduate of the elite Berlin conservatoire ‘Hanns Eisler’ and first prize winner of the Young Soloists National Percussion Competition, and the members of the string trio Grisart, an exciting young trio based in Berlin specializing in contemporary music and committed to the development of the repertoire for this ensemble.
The programme for this year’s festival is the following:
Monday 4th of August Poseidonion Grand Hotel Spetses, 21.00
Piano Trio No39 in G Major Hob.XV/25 "Gypsy Trio" by Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
English Suite No.1 in A major, (arr. by F.J.Kefford) BWV806 by J. S Bach (1685-1750)
Piano Trio No3 Op.101 in C Minor by Johannes Brahms(1833-1897)
Tuesday 05th of August Poros Syggrou Amphitheatre, 21.00
English Suite No.1 in A major, (arr. by F.J.Kefford) BWV806 by J. S Bach (1685-1750)
Guro for viola and percussion by Olaf Tzschoppe (1962)
Psappha (1975) Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001)
String Sextet No.1 in B flat major Op.18 by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Thursday 7th of August Bratsera Hotel Hydra, 21.00
String Sextet No.1 in B flat major Op.18 by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Piano Quintet No.2 in A major, Op.81 by Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904)
Friday 08th of August Poros Syggrou Amphitheatre, 21.00
Quintet for strings no. 2 in B flat major, Op. 87 F. Medelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847)
Verklärte Nacht, Op.4 by Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Saturday 9th of August Bratsera Hotel, Hydra, 21.00
Piano Trio No 39 in G Major Hob.XV/25 "Gypsy Trio" by Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
English Suite No.1 in A major, (arr. by F.J.Kefford) BWV806 by J. S Bach (1685-1750)
Verklärte Nacht, Op.4 by Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)
Sunday 10th of August Galatas High School, 21.00
String Sextet No.1 in B flat major Op.18 by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Piano Quintet No.2 in A major, Op.81 by Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904)
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