Emilios Riadis (1880-1935): Galatea (concertante)
(World premiere)


Emilios Riadis composed the Galatea opera during his stay in Paris, where he had started to become known in M. Ravel 's circle, who had even called him "my genius student".
Riadis completed the opera in Particell form, but for unknown reasons he orchestrated only the second act. With the outbreak of World War I, Riadis left the French capital to return to his hometown of Thessaloniki, where he was appointed a professor of piano and theory at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki. Since then, the opera remained in the composer's drawer and was never spoken of again.
 
During the recent Covid-19 pandemic and following the friendly prompting of my beloved colleague Byron Fidetzis, I decided to undertake the difficult task of restoring and orchestrating the first and third acts, so that this ambitious work by Emilios Riadis would become executable. I want to believe that the presentation of Galatea, 110 years after its composition, will contribute to the formation of a new perception of the importance of Riadis' work in the musical history of Greece, but also of the composer's place in the musical evolution of Europe, during the first fifteen years of the 20th century.
                                                                               Vladimir Symeonides

Friday, May 17, 2024
at 21:00 Thessaloniki Concert Hall
Friends of Music Hall (M1)
 
Mezzo soprano: Mary-Ellen Nesi
Tenor: Yannis Christopoulos
Baritone: Dionysios Sourbis
Tenor: Manos Kokkonis
Bass: Konstantinos Katsaras
Conductor: Vladimiros Symeonidis
Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra

Choir of the Plovdiv Opera
Chorus master: Dragomir Yossifov

Children's Choir of the ''Thessaloniki Friends of Music Society''
Chorus master: Sofia Gioldasi

Supported by the Consulat Général de France and the Institut Français de Thessalonique
 
Programme:
Emilios Riadis (1880-1935): Opera ‘Galateia’ (concertante) (TSSO premiere)  

Libreto by Pierre – Charles Jablonski
Greek translation: Mirela Simotas


Vladimiros Symeonidis: Restoration/ Completion of orchestration/Editor
Assistant Editor: Christos Dovas
Research team: Konstantinos Lykouriotis, Alexandros Efklidis, Mirela Simotas, Thodoris Kitsos

Co-production
TSSO – GNO
In cooperation with the TCH
 
Supported by the Greek Ministry of Culture as a part of the program
‘Thessaloniki-Sofia: Balkan Cultural Bridge’
 
 
Tickets
Distinct Zone: 20€
Α' Zone/Ground floor: 15€
Β' Zone/Upper tier-Boxes: 10€
Discount tickets: 5€