Starting point: Dionysius the Areopagite pedestrian street (church of Hagia Sophia) / Stop: Acropolis entrance / End: Paul and Alexandra Canellopoulos Museum

Hellenic Army Music

SEASON 2021/22 - 1st Sacred Music Festival

Holy Τuesday 19 April 2022

Δημιουργική Ομάδα

SMS/ASDYS “THESEUS”

Major (MS) Dionysios Mentes Commander

Major (MS) Ioannis Maniatis Conductor

Πρωταγωνιστές Παράστασης

Practical information:

- Audience members can enter all venues for free, on a first come first served basis. No advance booking is required.

- Due to the limited space available in many of the festival venues, some of the concerts will be repeated up to three times per day, to give the chance to as large an audience as possible to attend them.

- The concerts of the festival will be of short duration (from 25 to 40 minutes on average), so that audience members can attend more than one, if they wish so.

- The distance from one venue to the other is small, so that audience members have the chance to enjoy many of the festival events.

- The detailed programme will be available online at nationalopera.gr and digitalculture.gov.gr, while the printed programme that will be distributed to the public will include a map with all the venues, summary descriptions of the events, and QR codes referring to the detailed programme on the GNO website.

- All preventive measures against COVID-19 will be adhered to in all venues.

Starting point: Dionysius the Areopagite pedestrian street (church of Hagia Sophia) / Stop: Acropolis entrance / End: Paul and Alexandra Canellopoulos Museum

Opera

Hellenic Army Music

1st Sacred Music Festival

Starts at 21.45 |

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The history of the Military Music Band of the Athens Guard begins almost simultaneously with the history of the post-revolutionary Regular Hellenic Army. In 1824 the first Military Band was created within the ranks of the newly-formed Regular Army by philhellene French Colonel and Baron Charles Fabvier (1782-1855) in Nafplion, the capital of Greece at the time, while in 1856 the Special Military Music Band of the Athens Guard was established. From 1919 to 1922 the ensemble took part in the Asia Minor expedition, after which it regrouped once again in Athens under the name Music Band of the Athens Guard.

In 1940, with the outbreak of the Greco-Italian War, it was reformed and followed the Command Centre of the 1st Army Corps in Albania. A Military Music Department remained active in Athens, reinforced by reservists, until 1941, when it was dissolved, following the invasion of the German occupation forces in Greece. After that, many musicians fled to the Middle East. In 1945, with the regrouping of all Military Musicians, the Athens Military Music Band was called 1st Military Music Band, and in 2011 it acquired its present-day name, Hellenic Army Band of Athens “THESEUS” (SMS/ASDYS “THESEUS”). Since its formation it has taken part in many celebratory events in Greece and all over the world.

SMS/ASDYS “THESEUS” will start performing at Dionysius the Areopagite pedestrian street (church of Hagia Sophia), it will stop at the Acropolis entrance and will end at the Paul and Alexandra Canellopoulos Museum. The band will perform the Funeral march (Pathetic) by Ludwig van Beethoven, the march Dolore (of unknown composer), as well as, the Epitaph hymn Ai yeneai pasai (All generations offer) and Ina ti efryaxan (Why do the heathen rage). from David’s Psalm ΙΙ, a composition by Ioannis Planiteros [orch. (MS) Spyridon Peratinos].