Wednesday, 30 July 2025

ΜARE NOSTRUM: Jordi Savall, the musical ensemble Hespèrion XXI and the GNO Intercultural Orchestra at a concert with music from the Mediterranean

24 September 2025
Starts at: 21.00
Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Musical Direction: Jordi Savall
Artistic curation: Jordi Savall, Harris Lambrakis

A production of the GNO Learning & Participation

Presale starts on Thursday, 31 July 2025 from 12.00

The Learning & Participation Department of the Greek National Opera presents a unique concert featuring Jordi Savall and his celebrated ensemble Hespèrion XXI in conversation with the GNO Intercultural Orchestra, on 24 September 2025, at 21.00, at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. Tickets will go on sale on Thursday, 31 July 2025.

The renowned Catalan conductor and viola da gamba virtuoso returns to Athens for an evening of profound symbolism and cultural encounter. Along with Hespèrion XXI, the GNO Intercultural Orchestra will embark on a musical journey of dialogue and reconciliation, through melodies from Christian, Sephardic, Ottoman, and Arab-Andalusian traditions. The concert will also feature the exceptional vocalist Katerina Papadopoulou and the acclaimed French singer Marc Mauillon, in a programme that highlights the shared roots and rich cultural exchanges among the peoples of the Mediterranean.

This concert is a production of the GNO Learning & Participation Department, supported by the Departament de Cultura of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Institut Ramon Llull, the Region of Attica, and the Regional Development Fund of Attica.

Piraeus Bank is the sponsor of the GNO’s intercultural education initiatives. The support of the intercultural education activities is part of its Corporate Responsibility programme “EQUALL-For A Society of Equal People.”

Jordi Savall, one of the most prominent performers in the global music scene, is well-known for his work in promoting and preserving the Mediterranean musical tradition. Starting with the viola da gamba, an instrument that symbolizes Renaissance and Baroque music, Savall combines strict musical precision with a deep humanitarian approach, exploring the past with liveliness and timelessness. As a gambist, maestro, musicologist, researcher, and ambassador for cultural reconciliation, he has devoted over fifty years of his life to reviving and spreading the forgotten music of the Mediterranean, the East, and Europe. His work has garnered international acclaim, earning him numerous distinctions, including the title of “Artist for Peace” from UNESCO.

In Athens, Jordi Savall will collaborate with the GNO Intercultural Orchestra, a musical ensemble known for its extensive repertoire that spans from traditional to modern and experimental music, comprising musicians from diverse backgrounds and cultural identities. This year marks the seventh anniversary of their creative presence and continuous evolution, having participated in numerous concerts and productions, and consistently seeking to establish new collaborations.

The manager of the GNO Intercultural Orchestra, Harris Lambrakis, notes: “For this particular concert at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, there could not have been a better collaboration than with the emblematic musician and maestro Jordi Savall and his musical ensemble Hesperion XXI. It is a great honour for us that he accepted our invitation. In addition to being worldwide renowned for his research and historic musical performances of early and Baroque music, Jordi Savall is also a musician who embodies interculturality, bringing diverse cultures together, seeking synergies, and experimenting with the sound of old instruments combined with new timbres. It is on this combination that our collaboration will be based.

The concert’s title, Mare Nostrum, sets the tone: The Mediterranean will be portrayed as a shared sea, which each people (rightfully) considers its own – a sea that unites us rather than divides us. And if there is perhaps something we need from the arts and music today more than anything else, it is this affirmation: that only through sharing and becoming aware that the things that unite us are more than those that separate us, can we truly move forward.”
And Jordi Savall adds: “It is not enough to have a dialogue between cultures and religions—we need a dialogue between souls. And that is exactly the kind of dialogue this concert’s music offers."
Jordi Savall’s collaboration with the Greek National Opera and the GNO Learning & Participation Department is a significant highlight for Greek audiences, as this special musical evening will illuminate the musical exchanges that have shaped the Mediterranean’s cultural landscape. This partnership enhances and showcases the GNO’s steadfast commitment to promoting intercultural dialogue and contemporary musical creation, reaffirming its dedication to presenting events that unite diverse traditions, cultures, and people through the shared language of art.

Conducted and curated by Savall himself, in collaboration with Harris Lambrakis, this concert, occurring during a highly critical historical period, is expected to transform into a compelling musical event that will highlight the power of music as a universal language, a tool for reconciliation, and a promoter of peaceful co-existence.

Μare Nostrum: A Space For Dialogue and Diversity
Jordi Savall and the musical ensemble Hespèrion XXI engage in a dialogue with the GNO Intercultural Orchestra on a shared musical journey through the traditions of the Mediterranean.

24 September 2025
Starts at: 21.00
Odeon of Herodes Atticus

Musical direction: Jordi Savall
Artistic curation: Jordi Savall, Harris Lambrakis

Hespèrion XXI
Guillermo Pérez (organette), Efrén López (medieval lute, hurdy-gurdy), Dimitri Psonis (santur, percussion, bells), Jordi Savell (vielle)

Intercultural Orchestra of the Greek National Opera
Simos Papaspyrou (ney), Omar Abozekry (ney), Harris Lambrakis (ney), Chrystos Syngelos (oud), Seray Yalçın (oud), Stavros Papakyritsis (oud), Giannis Christakopoulos (accordion), Effie Psiachoulia (African kora), Manolis Christodoulou (qanun), May Angelaki (Cretan lute), Rezarta Krougia (violin), Myrsini Pontikopoulou (violin), Sofia Zafeiriou (violin), Cid Carmo (tarhu, violin), Savvas Koudounas (Constantinopolitan lyre, violin), Anastasia Papageorgiou (Constantinopolitan lyre), Lambrini Gioti (nyckelharpa, singing), Martha Papadogianni (cello), Alba Lymtsiouli (cello), Stavros Makris (contrabass), Eirini Alisa Tsakiroglou (piano), Giannis Tikof (guitar), Stathis Koutouzos (percussion), Mohammed Fadhil (percussion), Alexandra Balandina (percussion), Maro Panagi (percussion)

Performers: Katerina Papadopoulou, Marc Mauillon
A production of the GNO Learning & Participation

Presale starts on Thursday, 31 July 2025 from 12.00.
Ticket prices:
VIP Zone 1: 50 euros, VIP Zone 2: 35 euros
Zone A: 25 euros, Zone B: 20 euros, Zone C: 15 euros
Upper tier: 10 euros
Students, children: 5 euros
Disabled individuals: Free

Tickets can be purchased at: www.ticketservices.gr, the GNO Box Office at the SNFCC (2130885700 daily 9.00 – 21.00), and the Athens Festival Box Offices.

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