updated: 19/11/2024

Back to Top

Image Info

This image is used in good faith for educational and non-commercial purposes. We are committed to respecting the rights of creators and will take immediate action to address any concerns regarding this image. If you are the rightful owner of this image or know who is, please contact us here. We will promptly provide proper attribution or remove the image upon request.

Performer Information

Athens State Orchestra

Κρατική Ορχήστρα Αθηνών

Orchestra

The Athens State Orchestra is the oldest orchestral ensemble in Greece. Founded in the late 19th century as the Athens Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, it went through various names as well as forms of operation. Its first concert as the Athens State Orchestra was held on February 28th, 1943.

Ever since its foundation, the Athens State Orchestra has been offering to the Greek audience the opportunity to get acquainted with the masterpieces of the world’s repertoire, while it’s the main interpreter of the local music. It has achieved a consistent presence on the Greek cultural scene, performing more than fifty concerts per year. Besides Athens, the Athens State Orchestra regularly appears in many Greek cities, as well as in prestigious venues and festivals abroad. Its social and educational program throughout Greece is quite significant.

Over its long history, the Athens State Orchestra has performed under the direction of eminent conductors such as Richard Strauss, Felix Weingartner, Hans Knappertsbusch, Bruno Walter, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Eugen Jochum, Igor Markevitch, Lorin Maazel, Clemens Krauss, Yuri Temirkanov, Michel Plasson, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Vladimir Fedoseyef and has accompanied outstanding soloists, among whom Arthur Rubenstein, Wilhelm Kempff, Alfred Cortot, Fritz Kreisler, Jacques Thibaud, Pablo Casals, Vadim Repin, Gidon Kremer, Mstislav Rostropovich, Alfred Brendel, Daniel Barenboim, Martha Argerich, Elisabeth Leonskaya and Leonidas Kavakos.

Former Artistic Directors of the Orchestra have been Filoktitis Oikonomidis, Theodoros Vavagiannis, Andreas Paridis, Manos Hadjidakis, Giannis Ioannidis, Alexandros Symeonidis, Aris Garoufalis, Byron Fidetzis, Vassilis Christopoulos and Stefanos Tsialis. Since October 2020, Loukas Karytinos is the Artistic Director of the Athens State Orchestra.

Source: Athens State Orchestra

Performances

#	Date	Venue	City	Country	Festival	Organiser	Artist(s)	Ensemble(s)	Work(s) Performed
1	May 11, 1952	Orpheus Theater			N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Philoktetes Economides (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Apocalypse of the 5th Seal, Op. 7
2	November 28, 1954	Orpheus Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Andreas Paridis (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Concerto for Orchestra
3	November 10, 1958	Kotopouli - Rex Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Andreas Paridis (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Symphony No. 1
4	January 11, 1960	Kotopouli - Rex Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Andreas Paridis (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	The Bacchantes Op. 19, No. 2 (suite)
5	February 5, 1962	Kotopouli - Rex Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Dimitri Chorafas (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Tanagraea Op. 17b (Suite)
6	November 26, 1962	Kotopouli Rex Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Andreas Paridis (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Synthesis Op. 21
7	January 24, 1966	Kotopouli - Rex Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Andreas Paridis (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Variations on 4 Rhythmic Themes, Op. 24
8	January 26, 1970	Kotopouli -Rex Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Byron Kolasis (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Eight Children's Miniatures, Op. 23a
9	April 7, 1975	Kotopouli - Rex Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Dionysis Chalkiopoulos (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Concerto for Orchestra
10	July 26, 1976	Odeon of Herodes Atticus	Athens	Greece	Athens Festival	Athens Festival	Choo Hoey (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Antiphona, Op. 40
11	November 1, 1982	Pallas Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Adrian Sunshine (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Antiphona, Op. 40
12	April 22, 1985	Pallas Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Byron Kolasis (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 12
13	April 17, 1989	Pallas Theatre	Athens	Greece	1st Music Festival of Balkan Countries	Greek Composers' Union	Karolos Trikolidis (conductor), Georgios Demertzis (violin)	Athens State Orchestra	Violin Concerto, Op. 51
14	February 11, 1991	Pallas Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Elisabeth Kounalaki (piano), Miltiades Caridis (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Etudes Compositionnelles for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 38
15	December 3, 1999	Pallas Theatre	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Dimitris Agrafiotis (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Paysages, Op. 36
16	April 21, 2000	Friends of Music Hall (Christos Lambrakis Hall)	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Byron Fidetzis (conductor), Georgios Demertzis (violin)	Athens State Orchestra	Violin Concerto, Op. 51
17	March 22, 2002	Friends of Music Hall (Christos Lambrakis Hall)	Athens	Greece	N/A	N/A	Dimitri Chorafas (conductor), Ermis Theodorakis (piano)	Athens State Orchestra	Piano Concerto, Op. 52
18	March 11, 2005	Friends of Music Hall (Christos Lambrakis Hall)	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Nikos Tsouchlos (conductor), Christophoros Stamboglis (bass)	Athens State Orchestra	Seven Mystic Songs, Op. 62
19	April 20, 2007	Athens Concert Hall	Athens	Greece	Event Cycle "Hellenic Music Festivals" [Ελληνικές Μουσικές Γιορτές]	Athens State Orchestra	Dimitris Agrafiotis (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 12
20	April 30, 2009	Friends of Music Hall (Christos Lambrakis Hall)	Athens	Greece	N/A	Athens State Orchestra	Nikos Tsouchlos (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Symphony No. 1, Op. 14
21	December 13, 2020	Christos Lambrakis Hall	Athens	Greece	Beethoven: 250 Years – 100 Years Since the Birth of Yorgos Sicilianos (Μπετόβεν 250 χρόνια - 100 χρόνια από τη γέννηση του Γιώργου Σισιλιάνου)	Athens State Orchestra	Lukas Karytinos (conductor)	Athens State Orchestra	Eight Children's Miniatures Op. 23a

Works

#	Catalogue Number	Work Title	Subtitle	Opus	Instrumentation	Work Page
1	YSC105	Seven Mystic Songs	for Bass and Orchestra	62	2222-2420, Timpani, Percussion (Snare Drum, Crotales, Suspended Cymbal, Cymbals, Xylophone, Woodblock, 5 Temple Blocks, Flexatone, Triangle, Bass Drum), Strings, Bass (voice)	View
2	YSC95	Concerto	for Piano and Orchestra	52	1111-1110, Timpani, Strings	View
3	YSC82	Antiphona	for Brass, Timpani and Strings	40	4 Horns in F, 4 Trumpets in C, Trumpet in D, 3 Trombones, Tuba, Timpani I and II (28′ & 25′), Strings	View
4	YSC80	Etudes Compositionnelles	for Piano and Orchestra	38	2223 – 4231, Timpani, Percussion (2 Performers: Triangle, 2 Suspended Cymbals – Large and Small, Cymbals, Tam-Tam – Large Size – 90cm, Gong – Large Size – 90cm, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Tubular Bells in D, Marimba, Xylophone, Bass Drum), Celesta, Harp, Strings, Piano	View
5	YSC78	Paysages	for percussion and orchestra	36	2222-4231, Solo Percussion I (Timpani, Tubular Bells, Marimba, Xylophone, Tam-Tam, Snare Drum, 3 Suspended Cymbals, 5 Temple Blocks, 2 Woodblocks, Cymbals, Tambourine), Solo Percussion II (Timpani, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, 3 Gongs, 2 Bongos, 2 Timbales, 2 Congas, Triangle, Maracas, Claves), Percussion (Cymbals, Small Suspended Cymbal, Bass Drum), Strings	View
6	YSC63	Variations on 4 Rhythmic Themes		24	2222-4330, 2 Harps, Celesta, Percussion (5 Performers: Timpani, Xylophone, Vibraphone, Glockenspiel, Cymbals, Snare Drum, Triangle, Woodblock, Tambourine, Bass Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Clapper, Tamtam, 3 Tom-Tom: Low, Mid, and High, Bongos), Strings	View
7	YSC62	Eight Children's Miniatures	for Orchestra	23A	2222-4231, Timpani, Percussion (2 Performers: Cymbals, Triangle, Snare Drum, Bass Snare Drum without Snares, Bass Drum, Tamtam, Ratchet, Glockenspiel, Tubular Bells in C, E and F#), Harp, Celesta, Piano, Strings	View
8	YSC59	Synthesis	for strings and percussion	21	Double Strings and Percussion (4 Performers: Timpani, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Triangle, Cymbals, Tamtam, Gong (smaller Tamtam), Tom, Snare Drum, Bass Drum)	View
9	YSC56	The Bacchantes No. 2	a Ballet	19	3322-4431, 4 Timpani, Percussion (Glockenspiel, Xylophone, Crotales, Tubular Bells, Snare Drum, Tambourine, Bass Drum, Cymbals, Tamtam, Maracas, Triangle, Piano, Celesta, Strings, Female Choir (Soprano, Alto)	View
10	YSC52	Tanagraea	Ballet Suite	17B	3323-4231, Piano, Harp, Celesta, Guitar (optional), Timpani, Percussion (Tam-Tam, Bass Drum, Gong, Glockenspiel, Cymbals, Triangle, Snare Drum, Tambourine, Xylophone, Woodblock, Castanets), Strings	View
11	YSC48	Symphony No. 1		14	3333-4331, Timpani, Percussion (Bass Drum, Cymbals, Triangle, Tam-Tam, Xylophone), Celesta, Piano, Harp, Strings	View
12	YSC46	Concerto for Orchestra		12	2222-4331, Timpani, Bass Drum, Cymbals, Triangle, Strings	View
13	YSC40	Apocalypse of the 5th Seal	Overture	7	3332-4331, Timpani, Cymbals, Bass Drum, Strings	View

References

“Athens State Orchestra,” accessed August 19, 2024, https://www.koa.gr/en/.
Valia Christopoulou, Yorgos Sicilianos Catalogue of Works [Κατάλογος Έργων Γιώργου Σισιλιάνου] (Athens: Panas Music Papagrigoriou - Nakas, 2011) , 34, 40, 45, 54, 61, 64, 71, 72, 98, 102, 105, 132, 147
Francis Guy, Yorgos Sicilianos - diapason a dialogue with Francis Guy [Γιωργος Σισιλιανος - διαπασων ενας διαλογος με τον Φρανσις Γκαϋ] (Cyprus: Cyprus Wine Museum, 2009) , 102, 103, 132
Anastasios Rupert Arthur Mavroudis, Sicilianos, The Greek Modernist: Performing Selected Chamber Works and Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 51 (Athens: Benaki Museum, 2020) , 203, 265, 276
Yorgos Sicilianos, On Music [Για τη Μουσική], ed. Elly Yotopoulou-Sicilianou, foreword by Elly Yotopoulou-Sicilianou (Athens: Benaki Museum, Hellenic Music Centre, 2011) , 33, 34, 35, 36, 39, 51, 53, 54, 62, 63, 72, 73, 79, 80, 89, 90, 91, 92, 95, 98, 99, 100, 102, 111, 116, 130, 131, 132, 134, 135, 145, 149, 166, 171, 172, 175, 190, 193, 201, 282, 293, 303, 304, 305, 318, 319, 321, 425
Dimitris Agrafiotis, Theodore Antoniou, Tatsis Apostolidis, Valia Christopoulou, Giorgos Demertzis, Popi Eustratiadi, Byron Fidetzis, Gianni Ioannides, Apostolos Kostios, Giorgos Kouroupos, Katy Romanou, Yorgos Sicilianos, Michalis Stathopoulos, Nikos Synodinos, and Nikos B. Tsouchlos. Yorgos Sicilianos: In the Avant-Garde of Contemporary Music [Γιώργος Σισιλιανός - Ο συνθέτης στην πρωτοπορία της σύγχρονης μουσικής]. Edited by Valentini Tselika. (Athens: Benaki Museum, 2007) , 9, 30, 33, 56, 64, 130, 156, 163, 192, 196, 198, 203, 204, 209, 210, 213, 227, 228, 241, 249
Kostas Chardas, Giorgos Demertzis, Charis Dimaras, Nikos Maliaras, Giorgos Sakallieros, Nikos B. Tsouchlos, Markos Tsetsos, and Panos Vlagopoulos. Yorgos Sicilianos 1920-2005 - Anniversary Tribute [Γιωργος Σισιλιανος 1920-2005 Επετειακο αφιερωμα]. Edited by Stephania Merakos and Valia Vraka. (Athens: Friends of Music Association, 2016) , 16, 122

Table of Contents