MESSENIANS TO THE WORLD.

Worldwide music journeys.
Travelling in space and time.

Friday, August 24, 2012

ANCIENT STADIUM IN ANCIENT MESSINI

With the complimentary offer and participation of the artistic director of the concert Christos Tsiamoulis, oud soloist with origins in Messinia, the Orchestra & Choir of the Greek Music Section at the Athens Conservatory under the teaching  and conducting of Andreas Tsekouras (orchestra) and Katerina Papadopoulou (choir) and the scene director - author Stamatis Tsarouhas, around 5.000 spectators who reached the Ancient Stadium in ancient Messini on the 24th of August travelled through music and videos to the places where Messenians have lived, in Greece and the world, from ancient times till nowadays.

The 50 members’ music ensemble consisted of the musicians - soloists:
Costas Yeorghoulis, violin / Costas Kopanitsianos, clarinet / Costas Kalaitzakis, lute / Haris Lambrakis, nei / Panos Dimitrakopoulos, kanun / Socratis Sinopoulos, lyra / Pantelis Anastasopoulos, kanun

the singers
Babis Tsertos, Lakis Halkias, Sophia Papazoglou, Kaiti  Koullia, Katerina Papadopoulou

and the members of the music ensemble Encardia
Costas Konstantatos / singing, percussions – Natalia Kotsani / singing, mandolin, guitar.

Narration: Christos Liakopoulos, actor

With the participation of Greek folk dances troupes from the
Lyceum Club of Greek Women in Kalamata / Instructor: Tassos Michos
Dancing Group of Tripolis / Instructor: Christina Zabbatha
Tripolis Folk Society / Instructor: Vassilis Panagopoulos.

The music repertoire focused in Messinia and the Peloponnese and was enriched by sounds – words and music – from Cappadocia and Pontos, Constantinople, Macedonia and Western Greece, Cephalonia and South Italy (Magna Grecia), the Dodecanese, Crete and Cythera, the Asia Minor coasts, and with melodies from the Greek – Messenian diaspora in the U.S.A, Oceania, Africa and Europe.

Icons and video, from archives and present recordings, refined and staged by Stamatis Tsarouhas authenticated the music journey. In parallel readings of texts by Christos Liakopoulos generated the climate of the sentimental historical facts which, through the eons, obliged the people from Messenia and the Peloponnese, and generally speaking the Greeks, to immigrate.

Research & archive material kindly offered by:
Prof. Petros Themelis, Director of the Project in Ancient Messini
Anastasia Militsi – Nika, General State Archive – Department of Messinia
Yannis Lyras, ex. school teacher
Archives of the Society of Messenian Archaeological Studies

The design and production of the opening video with references to the work of Prof. Petros Themelis, in charge of the Ancient Messini Project, and the importance of the cultural endeavor as seen by personalities from politics, the business world, diplomats and intellectuals, with key note commentator the famous poet Dinos Christianopoulos, was carried out by the scene director Thodoris Constantopoulos.

The realization of the event, the designing and preparations of which started in February 2011, are due to three main factors:

1. the voluntary non-paid participation of all parties involved: artists, scene directors, the production company;
2. the development of cooperation with the local community in Messinia as well as in the Prefectures of Arcadia, Aitoloacarnania and Attica;
3. the prompt and enthusiastic contribution of the sponsors, supporters and facilitators.

The presence of Mr. SUN Liwei, Economic & Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Hellenic Republic, was meant to honor all the contributors of the thematic performance, the sponsors - supporters and the representatives of the regional and local authorities who participated in the project and attended the event.

Links:

Link Ι

Press Conference

Excerpt I

Excerpt II

Excerpt III