News/Announcements

‘Music knows no borders’ - Historic performance of the TSSO in Skopje 18 May 2025

The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra appeared on Saturday, May 17, 2025 for the first time in its history in the city of Skopje, with works by Maurice Ravel and Émile Riades, honoring the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great French composer and at the same time the 90th anniversary of the death of the greatest Thessaloniki composer and Ravel's student. It was a concert of friendship and cooperation between peoples that was enthusiastically received in North Macedonia, as the Skopje audience filled the North Macedonia Philharmonic Hall, while at the end they expressed their enthusiasm with a standing ovation. The concert was also attended by the President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Gordana Siljanovska, who warmly congratulated the performers after the concert, while also making a statement through her personal Facebook account, describing the concert as a “true musical feast”, while emphasizing that the event “excited the audience and demonstrated the enormous power of Art as cultural diplomacy”, hoping that such “unforgettable evenings” would be repeated soon. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the neighboring country, Buhar Osmani, was also present at the concert, who in turn warmly congratulated the protagonists of the evening.
The program began with the world premiere of the Symphonic Suite created by the conductor of the concert, Vladimir Symeonides, from the opera “Galatea” by Riadis. Next, Greek soprano Myrto Papatanasiu took to the stage, in her impressive dress by Greek designers Deux Hommes, performing Ravel’s “Five Popular Greek Songs” (arranged by Ravel and Rosenthal), while she was followed on stage by the leading pianist from North Macedonia, Simon Trpčeski, in Ravel’s “Piano Concerto in G Major.” Before beginning his magnificent performance, the soloist spoke to the audience with emotion, referring to this collaboration and its multifaceted significance. Next was the song “Thessaloniki” from the cycle “Jasmins and Minarets” by Riadis (edited by G. Sakallieros) with Myrto Papatanasiu returning to the stage and “Four Songs for Voice and Piano” by the Greek composer, orchestrated by Vladimir Symeonidis, to complete the main program with the famous choreographic poem “La Valse” by Ravel.
The orchestra responded to the catholic apotheosis with a surprise encore, giving the audience “Raiko”, a traditional piece orchestrated for a symphony orchestra by the exarch of the TSSO Antonis Sousamoglou, on the occasion of this particular concert, since according to his statement “it constitutes an ideal bridge of culture and friendship between the two peoples, with a music that both recognize as their traditional one”. Before “Raiko” was played, conductor Vladimiros Symeonidis also addressed the artists on stage, starting with the words “Music knows no borders,” leading the audience to even louder applause.
With this historic performance, another important link was added to the chain of successful recent performances by the TSSO in neighboring countries, through programs such as the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0,” funded by the European Union, within the framework of which this particular concert took place, as well as the program “Thessaloniki-Sofia, Balkan Bridge of Culture,” funded by the Ministries of Culture of Greece and Bulgaria on other occasions. Through these actions, the TSSO promotes Greek Culture abroad, but also hosts artists from these countries in Greece, proving that Culture can act as a catalytic factor in strengthening relations between peoples and lead to the development of bonds of friendship and loving cooperation between them.

* The concert was implemented within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan "Greece 2.0" with funding from the European Union

  Return