Alternative Stage Founding Donor
Major Sponsor of the Greek National Opera
From Beethoven and the era of grand musical subversions to contemporary readings of the historical repertoire, the Early Music Days festival invites audiences on a journey through emblematic works, period instruments, and fresh artistic approaches, highlighting the timeless power of musical creation. The programme is divided into two thematic cycles.
The First Cycle, titled The Age of Revolutions and curated by the versatile and highly prolific artist Dimos Goudaroulis, is dedicated to Ludwig van Beethoven and his creative entourage. It will feature music from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, spanning Classicism to Early Romanticism, with masterworks of chamber music by Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Franz Schubert, performed on period instruments by prominent Greek and European musicians.
The Second Cycle, titled Active Pasts and curated by distinguished conductor Markellos Chryssicos, is grounded in the belief that Early Music is not an outdated fossil but an active field of listening and reinterpretation that continues to generate new meanings even today. In this context, new commissions from Greek composers, jazz interpretations of Bach's variations, electronic sounds, and sound and lighting design create a seamless artistic setting in which the historical material is reactivated.
■ Tristan | 28 November 2026
Works by Bernart de Ventadorn, Guillaume de Machaut, Thanos Polymeneas-Liontiris, and others.
Concept, musical direction, medieval flutes: Dimitris Kountouras
Theodora Baka voice, Irini Bilini-Moraiti voice, medieval vielle, percussion, Elektra Miliadou medieval vielle, Chrysanthos Christodoulou electronics, sound design
The archetypal medieval story of Tristan, associated in literature with the King Arthur cycle and the Holy Grail, has inspired all art forms to this day and has gained wide recognition through Richard Wagner's work. The performance contrasts medieval music played on period instruments with electronics and contemporary musical compositions. The programme includes works by Bernart de Ventadorn and Guillaume de Machaut; a polyphonic piece from the Bamberg Codex (13th century); works from the French and Scandinavian traditions; and a composition for a medieval ensemble with electronics by composer Thanos Polymeneas-Liontiris, commissioned by the GNO Alternative Stage.
Ticket prices: 12, 15 • Students, children: 10
Tickets on sale from: 31/7
