Dies iræ – Transcendence and worship in the Middle Ages

An Easter tribute to medieval sacred music revolving around the typical of its time sequenza Dies iræ (Day of Wrath), with verses inspired by John’s Book of Revelation. Although it is best known as a part of Requiems written by various composers, during the Middle Ages Dies iræ also appeared as a parody song, a fact that lent it a more popular character. The programme concludes with sacred hymns echoing a transcendental manifestation of faith, to music by Hildegard von Bingen.

The Centre for Early Music of the Athens Conservatoire, whose goal is to study and spread Early Music, presents thematic programmes of a repertoire of largely unknown music from the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, under the direction of Dimitris Kountouras. So far it has performed and recorded programmes for the Third Programme of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (Secular music by Guillaume de Machaut, Florentine Renaissance), the Athens Concert Hall, the Greek National Opera, etc.

Fethiye Mosque (Roman Agora)

The Muslim house of worship known as Fethiye Mosque, “The Conqueror’s Mosque”, is one of the most important monuments of the Ottoman era in Athens. It stands at the junction of Pelopidas and Panos Streets inside the Roman Agora. According to the prevailing view, it was built in the second half of the 17th century at a place where there used to be a Christian church and earlier than that, a mosque. It was also known as “the mosque of Staropazaro” because it stood within the area where the cereal bazaar was held. After the Greek War of Independence of 1821 and the formation of the modern Greek state, the Fethiye Mosque was used for various purposes. It was restored in 2015 and today it is both a monument open to the public and a venue that hosts various cultural events.

First Sacred Music Festival info leaflet available to read and download here