The Philharmonia Orchestra of Athens proposes for the summer of 2026 in Patras a symphonic concert with a dual artistic and symbolic character, connecting the great Russian musical tradition with contemporary Greek creation, and simultaneously honoring the significant cultural identity of the Achaean capital. The concert is part of the Patras International Festival and will take place at the Patras Municipal Summer Theater.

The program pays tribute to three prominent composers of the Soviet Union, aiming to highlight the continuity of their art through the long and significant Russian musical tradition.

At the heart of the concert is the much-loved String Quartet No. 8 by Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the most poignant and recognizable chamber music works of the 20th century, with its emblematic theme that haunts the listener’s memory. The work will be performed in an arrangement for symphonic chamber orchestra by the prematurely deceased Greek composer Kostas Nikitas.

Also featured will be Sergei Prokofiev’s popular “Classical Symphony,” a work full of youthful freshness, humor, and masterful elegance. As its name suggests, thanks to its melodic inspiration and morphological ingenuity, it creatively renews the spirit of classicism, remaining one of the most beloved and accessible works of the 20th century.

The Russian part of the program is complemented by the rarely lyrical and virtuosic Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra by Reinhold Glière, a lesser-known but equally important composer. This is a composition in which the human voice is transformed into another orchestral instrument full of colors and expressiveness. The soloist will be the distinguished, internationally renowned soprano Vassiliki Karagianni, who hails from the Achaean capital.

These works converse with the great Russian school that was formed from the early 19th century and brought forth creators such as Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, and many others.

The concert acquires a special local and symbolic character, as the distinguished performer will lend her voice to the four songs by the Patras-born composer Dimitrios Lialios. This is a cycle of small musical jewels that reveal the subtlety and melodic sensitivity of early 20th-century Greek art music. Lialios’s work was rediscovered, rescued from oblivion, and presented to the public just a few years ago thanks to the research and musical curation of the Philharmonia’s artistic director and the concert’s conductor, maestro Byron Fidetzis.

Through this encounter of different musical worlds and historical references, the concert aims to highlight the timeless power of symphonic music and offer the audience of Patras an evening of high artistic value.

PROGRAM

Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich / Kostas Nikitas
Chamber Symphony on String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110

Reinhold Moritzevich Glière
Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra, Op. 82

Dimitrios Lialios
Four Songs for Soprano and Orchestra

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev
Symphony No. 1, in D major, Op. 25, “Classical”