Historic Nafplion in the Peloponnese is the place to be in the end of June. The annual NAFPLION FESTIVAL kicks off on June19th and promises lots of music all the way through to June 28th. Already in existance for seventeen consecutive years and being awarded as the best festival of its kind by the association of Music Critics of Greece, Nafplion Festival gives a good reason to visit the area.

The Festival and the artistic director, the well known pianist YIANNIS VAKARELIS, in its 18th consecutive year, features a panorama of unique musical performances staged at four of the city's major venues: PALAMIDI, the Venetian fortress, VOULEFTIKON, the first Hellenic Parliament and AGHIOS YEORGIOS SQUARE, the courtyard of St. George's church. NAFPLION FESTIVAL spreads its wings every year with more and more ambitious plans.

Artistic Director JANIS VAKARELIS is adamant in his responsibility to continue this significant cultural event with the same zeal and sense of commitment every year. According to Yiannis Vakarelis "culture is the shortest and safest way to stir emotions and soften souls". Internationally acclaimed personalities and ensembles from the music scene appear in this year's concerts:ROYAL DANISH ORCHESTRA, TRONDHEIM SOLOISTS, MICHALA PETRI, ARILD QUARTET, STOCHOLM BRASS, HELSINKI QUARTET and many others.

The Festival is sponsored by NISSAN, CLUB HOTEL CASINO LOUTRAKI and NOKIA with media sponsors, MEGA CHANNEL, EBU, TO VIMA, TA NEA, in.gr, and organized by PHORMIGX CONCERT AGENCY in collaboration with the Municipality of Nafplion and the Nordic Culture Fund and the Danish Arts Council and also the Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Finish Embassies in Greece.

 

“Music is a language without words” (the Danish poet Hans Christian Andersen)

The eighteenth Nafplion Festival is dedicated to Scandinavia and the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. This is a region that is linked together by its own particular social, political and cultural values and with a long tradition of consensus and close co-operation. It is therefore a great pleasure for us to pay tribute to and celebrate music through a common Nordic music project. Thanks to the artistic director of the Nafplion Festival, Janis Vakarelis, together we are able to present a representative selection of classical music in all its diversity, incorporating both the classical Nordic and European heritages as well as exciting modern classical musicians and compositions.

The key figures in the programme are the great classical composers Carl Nielsen, Jean Sibelius and Edvard Grieg, renowned for representing both Nordic culture and identity. Nearly all the orchestras and ensembles participating will be playing works by these masters. However, it should be noted that the contents of the programme is not just Nordic. Rather, music from the Nordic countries is blended with established international treasures. In addition to the composers already mentioned the repertoire stretches from the Flemish Renaissance composer Susato and other famous European classical composers up until contemporary Greek, British, Finnish and Swedish composers. In this respect Janis Vakarelis has put together a programme that emphasises the global appeal of beautiful music and its ability to transcend differences while still preserving its own cultural roots.

Nafplion is an impressive town, where the natural surroundings provide a superb backdrop to its history and culture. The fact that the festival is taking place in Nafplion and that the individual concerts will be put on within this framework - the cultural history of the town and its scenery - makes for a unique experience. In the course of the ten days 64 Nordic musicians will perform here together with a number of prominent Greek artists.

Consequently, we will be privileged to listen to concerts in Vouleftikon, the site of Greece’s first parliament and a building constucted of stone taken from the treasure chambers at Mycenae. Its history as a court, mosque and church as well as a place where people traditionally assemble underlines the power of music to unite people across all boundaries. We are also looking forward to enjoying the sound of music echoing from Palamidi, the Venetian castle built on Nafplion’s ancient acropolis and experiencing the notes ringing out over the whole town and the sea as the first stars appear in the heavens. And we anticipate with pleasure the chance to hear the virtuosos and the large orchestras playing at twilight as the dusk falls over St. George Square, the heart of the old town. Overall, this will be an experience that will not only incorporate music but also light and space.

 

We, the Nordic ambassadors to the Hellenic Republic would like to congratulate the Municipality of Nafplion and the organiser and artistic director of the Nafplion Festival for this great initiative. We would also like to express our appreciation for a very comprehensive and ambitious programme and the possibility to be part of this wonderful event.

 

Tom Nørring Erkki Huittinen Sverre StubHåkan Malmqvist