Each new performance of the Athens Philharmonic Orchestra confirms that it is now one of the best symphony orchestras in the country thanks to the very good solo performance of individual musicians and, above all, thanks to the quality of the string body.

He proved it once again on 24 April at the Christos Lambrakis Hall under the musical direction of his artistic director Byron Fidetzis in works of French music. The program was particularly demanding, as French music requires string qualities that are different from what is expected in the music of Central Europe, that is, in the works of German, Austrian and Czech composers, with whom our ensembles are mostly familiar. The transparency of sound and lightness, which are key elements in several compositions by Debussy and Ravel, are qualities that are not easy to convey. But they singled out the performances of the Philharmonic under the direction of Fidecis, especially in the first part of the evening, which allowed the performances to stand out.

In terms of the quality of the strings, the Philharmonic is among the best symphony ensembles in the country.

The concert began with Debussy’s Petite Suite, a piece for piano four hands, orchestrated twenty years after it was written by Henri Bisser, co-author and friend of the composer. This creative orchestration, with a prominent role for the flute and the characteristic sound of the triangle and harp, further emphasizes the already light, carefree mood of the music. This is exactly what Fidetsis projected in the way he conveyed the relaxed spirit of the play. Very good solo performances also helped. Equally delightful was Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, which followed. Each of the five miniatures that make it up has taken on its own personality, always with tenderness and transparency as its dominant elements, which go hand in hand with the scenes from fairy tales that the music reproduces.

In the second part of the evening, two works with different requirements were performed, not only because in both pianos it performs as a solo instrument. César Franck’s symphonic poem Les Demons, which precedes the two works of the first movement, belongs to a different aesthetic. The fruit of the 19th century, which is a continuation of several similar works, is based on the poem of the same name by Hugo and ascribes nocturnal mysterious and supernatural powers. Accordingly, Vincent d’Anty’s “Symphony on a French Mountain Song” for piano and orchestra is contemporary with Franck’s work and equally typical of the theme that underlay the romanticism and aesthetics that dominated the second half of the 19th century. .

The piano part in both works was performed by Thodoris Tsovanakis. He had the skill that Frank’s work especially requires and avoided overly formal language. He kept the piano in constant dialogue with the orchestra, either participating in it as one of the instruments, or coming to the fore as a soloist, as the composer intended.