The concert program is dedicated to two significant female figures: the mythical Medea, a source of inspiration for musicians, and Louise Farrenc, one of the first female composers. You will perform her Symphony No. 3, in G minor. It is not one of the repertoire’s well-known works. For what reasons would it be worth including?
First and foremost, because it is a truly beautiful work. In this Symphony, it is difficult to find a moment that lacks an internal reason for its existence. Morphologically, it presents certain peculiarities. Briefly, I will mention some of the many: the first movement opens with an extremely short slow introduction, just six and a half measures — almost an exception to the rule — which leads to eighteen measures of an anxious Allegro in G minor, even before the first theme appears.
Of particular interest is also the way Louise Farrenc weaves the thematic material. There is a constant dialectic between strings and winds. This element runs through the entire symphony. Also, no instrument functions merely as support or is ‘weak’. The absence of trumpets lends a special timbral result, while the continuous interplay between dynamic outbursts and lyrical moments leaves the listener no room for relaxation.
It is no coincidence that on the night of the work’s premiere, the orchestra performed Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony in the first part of the concert.
In the second part of the concert, we will hear Medea by Jiří Antonín Benda, one of the first experiments in what we would call musical theater.
Jiří Antonín Benda’s Medea belongs to the first examples of Melodrama, which combines theater with orchestra. In Benda’s Medea, the heroine is presented not only as a mythical figure but as a character who reveals her inner struggle with extreme intensity. The actress does not sing; she recites. The orchestra, on the other hand, does not merely accompany the action but expresses the heroine’s deepest and often unspoken emotions. In this way, music becomes the space where her psychological conflict is revealed.
As each era reinterprets the myth with its own perspective, what is that of the late 18th century in Medea?
Certainly, each era reinterprets the myth of Medea through its own aesthetic and philosophical quests. In the late 18th century, this perspective is shaped by two powerful intellectual trends: on the one hand, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s radical ideas for a new relationship between speech and music, and on the other, the intensely emotional spirit of the German literary movement Sturm und Drang.
Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter’s poetic text, from a close friend of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is part of the same intellectual climate: Medea appears as a figure of extreme passion and existential contradictions. Thus, the myth is transformed into a dramatic portrait of the human soul. The late 18th-century perspective, therefore, is not so much interested in simply narrating the tragic story as it is in exploring the limits of human emotion. And to openly expose the inner thoughts of the tragic Medea.
You turned to orchestral conducting after a successful career in lyrical singing. How did you make the decision for this transition? Did you encounter resistance – as a singer or as a woman?
The reason I chose to study orchestral conducting was the need to remain as close as possible to the birth and production of musical sound. Literally: to be where the sound is created, to receive and experience it from the most direct position. And beyond that, the most essential reason was my love for symphonic music. I passionately listen to orchestral works and particularly admire Beethoven, Mozart, Boulanger, Clara and Robert Schumann, Tchaikovsky, and many, many contemporary composers. I actually began my studies concurrently with my singing career.
What does tomorrow’s concert signify for you?
I am very happy about the upcoming concert. The Athens Municipality Orchestra consists of excellent musicians and collaborators. And together with Maria Skoula, for whom words are not enough to describe the perfection of her work, we look forward to sharing the program we have prepared with the audience!
