Dimitri Platanias' Recital Streams as Part of the 'Mediterranean Desert' Festival From the Greek National Opera

As the Ionian Islands were never occupied by the Ottomans, they uninterruptedly followed the development of European culture. Theatrical activity has been evidenced on Corfu already since the third decade of the 16th century, and an organised theatre and melodrama life since the first decades of the 18th century. For reasons of proximity, musical bonds were closer with Italy and especially Venice and Naples: Ionian composers were studying in Italian cities and Italian opera troupes were visiting the Ionian Islands. In his recital, the distinguished Greek baritone Dimitri Platanias, accompanied by Sophia Tamvakopoulou on the piano, will perform typical songs by great Ionian composers: the Corfiots Napoleon Labelet, Spyridon Xyndas, Spyridon-Filiskos Samaras and Lavrentios Kamilieris (Lorenzo Camilieri), as well as Theodoros Spathis, son of the Cephalonian composer Spyridon Spathis. The lyrics are penned by celebrated poets such as Ioannis Polemis, Dionysios Solomos, Georgios Drosinis and Alexandros Pallis.

The Greek National Opera's 4th Online Festival titled "Mediterranean Desert" and curated by Giorgos Koumendakis brings to your screen four special recitals via GNO TV. The Festival's videos will be streamed via GNO TV for free from 12 to 26 April 2021, and will remain available to the public for 30 days after their premiere. The Festival is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) [www.SNF.org] to enhance the Greek National Opera's artistic outreach.

Baritone Dimitri Platanias, pianists Stéphanos Thomopoulos, Lorenda Ramou, Sophia Tamvakopoulou, visual artist Leda Papaconstantinou, and the Galan Trio, present works by Labelet, Xyndas, Samaras, Kamilieris, Spathis, Kalomiris, Constantinidis, Xenakis, Theodorakis, Koumendakis in four filmed recitals. The 4th Online Festival will be streamed entirely via GNO TV, for free, like the three previous online festivals, and the videos will remain on the platform for a month after their premiere.

The Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera Giorgos Koumendakis notes: "For the 4th Online Festival we invited leading music and visual artists to present us their own readings of famous and lesser known works of Greek composers. The invisible line connecting all these works we will watch and listen to, is the sense of the sea and, for this reason, the Festival was named 'Mediterranean Desert'. We invite you all to enjoy them, with your thoughts wandering like a light summer breeze."

Learn more at https://tv.nationalopera.gr/en/online-festival/ionian-school-of-music/.