The Acropolis Museum welcomes spring with music in the Parthenon Gallery on Monday, March 31, 2025, as part of the “Musical Strolls” series organized by the Athens State Orchestra.
This year’s event features a program that showcases the vast spectrum of Modernism in music. With the ambiguous title “Dyst(r)opia,” the selection of works highlights the breadth of the greatest artistic movement of the 20th century, which shaped all subsequent developments and left an indelible mark on the history of art. While initially creating a truly dystopian reality, Modernist composers ventured down various paths. Some drew upon the music of the past to construct a new, eclectic world, as in the case of Schnittke, while others parodied it, like Hindemith in the humorous opening piece of the program. Though the atmosphere before and after the two World Wars was dark, humor remained an essential tool for these composers—sometimes as a release from the gloom of the era, sometimes as bitter cynicism. No matter how “unruly” the music of the time may seem to some listeners, the pervasive lyricism of Hindemith’s quartet, the vibrancy and varied character of Martinů’s music, and the transcendent spirituality of Schnittke resonate with audiences in many ways.
The esteemed musicians of the Athens State Orchestra will present the following works:
PAUL HINDEMITH (1895-1963)
Introduction to Richard Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, played prima vista by an amateur ensemble at the village fountain at seven in the morning
Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano
BOHUSLAV MARTINŮ (1890-1959)
String Quartet No. 3
ALFRED SCHNITTKE (1934-1998)
String Quartet No. 3
Performing artists:
Vasilis Soukas (violin), Iordanis Santos-Mastralexis (violin),
Enkela Kokolani (viola), Angelos Liakakis (cello),
Kostas Tzekos (clarinet), Theodoros Iosifidis (piano)
Ticket Information:
Due to limited availability, securing participation in the event requires an online seat reservation at events.theacropolismuseum.gr and the purchase of a €10 ticket from the museum’s ticket counters on the day of the event, between 5:00 PM and 5:30 PM, upon presenting the reservation code at counters 6, 7, or 8. If the ticket is not collected on time, the seat will be released and offered to the next visitor. Admission to the event requires the presentation of the ticket at the Information Desk.
The event includes a guided tour of the exhibition spaces with a Museum Archaeologist at 5:30 PM, followed by the musical performance at 7:00 PM in the Parthenon Gallery.
Please note that on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, the Museum transitions to its summer operating hours (April 1 – October 31):
- Monday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday: 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM
The Museum restaurant operates during Museum hours and remains open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. Table reservations can be made at +30 210 9000915.
ACROPOLIS MUSEUM
Dionysiou Areopagitou 15, 11742 Athens
Tel. +30 210 9000900
www.theacropolismuseum.gr
