On Holy Monday, April 14 at 20:30, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), in collaboration with the ERT National Symphony Orchestra, presents a concert in the Stavros Niarchos Hall dedicated to three emblematic works of the Romantic repertoire, under the baton of Myron Michailidis. This concert, made possible through the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), features Tomaso Albinoni’s atmospheric Adagio (as arranged by musicologist Remo Giazotto), Max Bruch’s dramatic Violin Concerto No. 1, with acclaimed soloist Diana Tishchenko, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s powerful Symphony No. 6 “Pathétique”.
Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor for strings and organ, though widely attributed to the Venetian composer of the 18th century, is in fact a neo-Baroque work composed in the 20th century by Remo Giazotto (1910–1998), a musicologist and biographer of Albinoni. Giazotto claimed to have based the piece on a fragment of a manuscript by Albinoni, obtained from the Saxon State Library in Dresden after World War II. He orchestrated and completed the composition, publishing it in 1958 under the title Adagio in G minor for Strings and Organ, on Two Thematic Ideas and a Bass by Tomaso Albinoni.
Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, is one of the German composer’s greatest and most beloved works in the violin repertoire. Premiered in 1866 with Bruch himself conducting, it quickly gained wide acclaim. Structured in three movements, it opens with a vigorous prelude leading into a lyrical and romantic slow second movement, and concludes with a spirited and passionate finale rich in melodic beauty.
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, known as the “Pathétique”, stands among the timeless masterpieces of orchestral music. As the composer’s final completed symphony, it is widely regarded as his swan song. The four contrasting movements include a romantic and lyrical first movement, an unconventional 5/4 time waltz in the second, an explosive and triumphant third, and a profoundly mournful final movement that evokes the fragility of human existence.
Myron Michailidis
Myron Michailidis is one of Greece’s most distinguished conductors with a notable international presence. He has conducted leading ensembles such as the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestras of Berlin, Erfurt, Enescu, Bratislava, Sofia, Odessa, Ankara, Bangkok, Braunschweig, Saarbrücken, Rome, Shanghai, Trieste, Toronto, Jerusalem, Mexico City, Batumi, and many others, including national operas and philharmonics across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. He is a regular collaborator with all major Greek orchestras.
His repertoire spans approximately 400 symphonic works and 46 operas. He has worked with renowned artists such as Aldo Ciccolini, Paul Badura-Skoda, Cyprien Katsaris, Ivo Pogorelich, Lars Vogt, Fazıl Say, Barry Douglas, Salvatore Accardo, Vadim Repin, Shlomo Mintz, Mischa Maisky, June Anderson, Cheryl Studer, and Paata Burchuladze.
Michailidis has recorded for EMI Classics, Naxos, and others, earning two Grammy nominations, the Supersonic Award, the Pizzicato Classics Award, and the Diapason d’Or. His recording of Beethoven’s Concertos with Aldo Ciccolini and the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra brought him international acclaim. In 2015, his production of Gounod’s Faust with the Greek National Opera was released on DVD.
He has served as Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera, the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Conductor at the Saxon Opera. Since 2018, he has been General Music Director (GMD) of the Erfurt Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra in Germany. In 2019, he was appointed the first Artistic Director of the Cultural and Conference Center of Heraklion, Crete.
He has been honored with the title of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic, distinctions from the Union of Greek Critics for Drama and Music, the Apollo Award, and the “Golden Baton” Special Award from the Friends of the Greek National Opera.
He studied piano with Dimitris Toufexis, advanced music theory with Yiannis Ioannidis, and orchestral conducting with Hans-Martin Rabenstein at the Berlin University of the Arts, also holding a degree from the Law School of the University of Athens. He furthered his studies in masterclasses with Miltiades Caridis and Sir Simon Rattle.
Michailidis is active as a teacher in orchestral conducting programs and serves as a jury member in international competitions such as Hariclea Darclée, Maria Kraja, and Antal Doráti. He is Vice President of the International Maria Callas Association.
ERT National Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1938, the ERT National Symphony Orchestra performs classical, Greek, and international repertoire. It has showcased the works of notable composers and conductors through recordings, live radio and television broadcasts, and concerts across Athens and regional Greece.
Over the decades, it has collaborated with many internationally renowned conductors and soloists including Dimitris Mitropoulos, Miltiades Caridis, Yehudi Menuhin, Gina Bachauer, José Carreras, Agnes Baltsa, Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Angela Gheorghiu, among others.
The orchestra has performed at major festivals worldwide and is considered one of the most dynamic and accomplished symphonic ensembles in Greece. Since February 2023, the orchestra has been under the direction of conductor Michalis Economou.
Cosmos: Easter Concert
More information at snfcc.org and on social media @SNFCC.
