Cosmos: Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra
Henryk Górecki Symphony No. 3

The Holy Week is ushered in at the SNFCC with the Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra performing at Stavros Niarchos Hall. One of Greece's leading symphonic orchestras will be presenting the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs under the baton of acclaimed conductor George Petrou.

On Holy Monday, April 18, at 20:30, the Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra will be performing Polish composer Henryk Górecki's Symphony No. 3. The internationally acclaimed maestro George Petrou will be conducting one of the most important works of the 20th century, also known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. Through exquisite poetic texts that celebrate love, capture sorrow, mourn death and extoll faith, the concert will be expressing, among other things, the emotions spawned along the path from Crucifixion to Resurrection.

The first part of the Symphony is based on a 15th-century Polish lament for the death of Jesus, and the second one on a note written by an 18-year-old girl in her Gestapo prison cell. In the third part, the composer draws inspiration from a Silesian folk song, in which a mother is searching for her son who was killed by the Germans in the Silesian uprisings. The demanding vocals are interpreted by internationally acclaimed soprano Myrtò Papatanasiu. The concert will open with Nestor Taylor's The Path of the Archangel, an elegy for strings.

The Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra is considered one of the most dynamic, consummate and active symphony orchestras of Greece. Since its founding in 1938, it has presented works by leading Greek and foreign composers, maestros and researchers, through recordings, concerts and live broadcasts on radio and television. Currently serving at the helm of the orchestra is award-winning conductor George Petrou.

George Petrou is one of the leading Greek conductors, with an acclaimed international career marked by regular performances in major theaters and concert halls around the world. He regularly collaborates with prominent orchestras, while much of his activity is focused on opera. At the same time, he is also active as director, having directed successful productions of opera and musical theater. He was been awarded the ECHO Klassik award, and was nominated for a Grammy in 2018. He has been awarded the title of "Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by the French government, and has been honored as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, London (ARAM). In 2018, the Union of Greek Critics for Drama and Music presented him with the Grand Prize for Music. Since 2021, he has been serving as artistic director of the historic Göttingen International Händel Festival.

He is the artistic director of the Athens Camerata, an orchestra known internationally as Armonia Atenea.

He studied piano at the Athens Conservatoire, and completed his studies at the Royal College and the Royal Academy of Music in London, on scholarships granted to him by the Royal Academy and the Onassis Foundation.

Holy Monday, April 18, 20.30
STAVROS NIARCHOS HALL

Advance Ticket Sales Points:
· online on Ticket Services website
· by phone: 210 7234567 (Ticket Services)

Ticket Prices:
Zone A - general entrance € 20
Zone B - general entrance € 15, reduced € 10

Concession tickets of 10€ are available to students, people aged 65+, minors up to 17 years old, the unemployed, Persons with Disabilities along with their companion, multi-child families and residents of the Municipality of Kallithea. Children can sit with their chaperones in any zone, with a concessions ticket.

On the day of the concert, concession ticket holders will be asked to show their ID, as well as supporting documentation (student card, unemployment card, family status certificate for multi-child parents, certification of disability, utility bill for residents of Kallithea)

Pre-sale for Members starts on Wednesday 30/03 at 12.00
Pre-sale for the public starts on Thursday 31/03 at 12.00

Important information:

• Doors open at 19.30.
• We suggest that you be at the location no later than 60 minutes before the commencement of the event.
• Entrance will be possible up to 10 minutes before the event's commencement.
• Pre-sale is required. No order of priority will be available on-site.
• All SNFCC areas are accessible to people with disabilities.
• For more information or clarifications, please contact the SNFCC switchboard on 216 8091000.

According to the latest measures to protect public health from the risk of spreading COVID-19, a valid vaccination certificate or a valid disease certificate, is required for the public to enter the event venue, as the venue operates as a pure venue. The above applies to adults. Μinors from 4 to 17 years old may, alternatively, submit a statement of negative self test (24 hours), a certificate of PCR (72 hours) or rapid (48 hours) diagnostic test, in accordance with the recent government measures.

A parallel identity check will be carried out on the persons who show the required certificates, as provided by law.

Participants must wear a mask and keep their distance both during attendance and during events and in accordance with the instructions of NPHO.

Due to public health measures, there may be changes regarding either the staging of the event, or the maximum number of participants.

This event comes under a grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). Alongside the majority of its events, which are free thanks to a series of SNF grants, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center also organizes a number of events with affordable tickets, thus enriching its income sources and securing its long-term financial integrity.