Starting August 12, the 11th Molyvos International Music Festival invites us to confront Chaos and, through it, let music guide us to a new creative order, across six concerts until the 19th of the month, in the traditional settlement of Lesbos. On this occasion, we spoke with Danae Dörken, who, along with her sister Kyveli, also a pianist, artistically directs this exceptional festival, which this year has Chaos as its theme.
In a world that seems to be sliding towards chaos, I hope your Chaos is creative.
Currently, there are many different things in the world that contain chaos in many different ways. But I think it’s important to remember that chaos is not the end, but the beginning. Through chaos, the path ahead is decided; it can lead to destruction, but it can also lead to a new beginning. So, we see chaos as a necessary phase of transition — a state that pushes us to the next step, towards a new order that can be better than the one we had before. We must go through it for a new birth to occur; for this, chaos for us is, in a way, the beginning of creativity.
How does the musical program relate to the Festival’s theme?
Our concert series begins with Pandemonium and Pain and, through Opportunity, Rebellion and Hope, culminates in Creation. The work that will conclude the Festival is Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring in the version for piano four hands. It is a work that is a hymn to rebirth, to the transition from darkness to light, from an end to a new beginning.
Every year, however, is a new beginning.
This quest has always characterized the Festival: we seek to bring together open-minded musicians from all over the world, who are looking for something new, and are, in a way, curious about what Molyvos will offer them as inspiration and how it will influence the pieces they will perform there.
Does the Festival serve as a point of communication between local and international musical life?
From the beginning of the Festival, it was important for us to invite not only distinguished musicians from abroad, but also acclaimed Greek artists. Every year it is our pleasure to collaborate with great Greek talents. The Festival acts as a bridge between these two worlds — although the Greek musicians we invite already have an international career.
Another key element of the Festival is the establishment of a world premiere each year, always by a Greek composer. This year we have the honor of presenting the work of Errikos Vaios, a trio for piano, violin, and cello, which will be performed by myself, Katerina Hatzinikolaou, and Tania Tetzlaff.
At the same time, we continue to provide a platform for young Greek musicians. Kyveli and I listen to many musicians every year and select talented artists to participate in the Festival. Often, this is their first contact with the international classical music world, and it often serves as a bridge for further collaborations and studies. It is a vibrant network of creative exchanges.
You have repeatedly recorded and presented Greek composers to international audiences.
Over the past seven or eight years, I began to delve into Greek classical music and its composers. First and foremost, I discovered many pieces that are truly impressive, beautiful. In addition to the well-known Theodorakis, Hadjidakis, Skalkottas, and Xenakis, I also became acquainted with the work of Kalomiris, who has written excellent pieces for piano. But it wasn’t just that I discovered many works; it’s also that when I started engaging with this music, I was influenced in the pieces I played by other composers!
Meaning?
For me, being half Greek and half German, Greek classical music is very important. I feel that I have learned so much from it, because this music has such a special rhythm, special harmonies – a, how can I put it, almost like a fire within it. It’s a temperament, an energy, that I carry with me into other pieces I play.
You recently recorded Mikis Theodorakis’s works for piano and orchestra for the German label Berlin Classics.
Yes, I recently recorded an album with works by Mikis Theodorakis, from arrangements of his songs to the Suite for piano and orchestra and the concerto “Helikon” for piano and orchestra, two thrilling works, with an energy that is very difficult to describe, almost reminiscent of Beethoven, as if something in nature awakens and it is impossible to stop it.
The recording was made with the Weimar Orchestra and conductor Kornilios Michailidis, whom I have known since I was 7-8 years old. In a way, we grew up musically together. We were always in touch, talking about works, exchanging very long emails where we discussed recordings we had heard and sent to each other. It’s a very beautiful friendship, and I’m very happy that we are now collaborating on a musical level.
What do you think the Festival could do better in the future?
My wish for the Festival is that it has the opportunity to grow, so that we can realize certain dreams that currently remain on paper due to lack of resources. We need support from sponsors that will allow us not only to continue, but also to expand our activities, invite more musicians, and implement some more long-term ideas.
What do you think is the overall contribution of a Festival like Molyvos?
I think we shouldn’t forget that at the level of art, and especially music, we can communicate many things that are usually not communicated so easily, because in music we don’t use words. Of course, we transcend languages, everyone can understand that, but the most important thing is that when we listen to music, the fear of something unknown disappears, and thus people, cultures, and countries unite much more easily.
That’s why it’s so important to utilize this level of music and art, and I think the Festival we have in Molyvos is ideal because it has the ability to touch us in a way that is usually not so easy to achieve otherwise.
