Εxhibition: "Panharmonia"

The Greek National Opera presents a tribute to the distinguished Greek visual artist Sophia Kalogeropoulou with a great painting exhibition drawing upon her rich artistic work. The exhibition titled Panharmonia will be held from 8 March to 5 April 2022 at the atrium on the 4^th floor of the National Library of Greece in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, and will be open daily 09.00-21.00. The exhibition is organised by the Greek National Opera in collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNFCC) and the National Library of Greece (NLG) and is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

The 78 paintings composing the fairytale-like, luminous, and optimistic universe of the exhibition Panharmonia tell stories inspired by music works and entries from Takis Kalogeropoulos’ Dictionary of Greek Music. A few months ago Mrs Kalogeropoulou donated the entire valuable archive of composer and musician Takis Kalogeropoulos as well as her own historical archive to the GNO.

Behind the vivid colours, selected “entries” from a very detailed archive of Greek musical creation come to life, entries that perhaps do not belong “to its most popular part” but “to its most valuable”, as the artist notes. The paintings transport the viewers to scenes of music works, theatres, and myths. Through all this “fair” of colours and music, the works communicate a message about our own culture. Music events and visual art workshops for children will be held as part of the exhibition by the Learning & Participation Department of the GNO.

“When one listens to music, one ‘sees’ images. It is these images that I wanted to capture. The subject matter of this exhibition is our musical legacy, not its most popular part perhaps, but in my opinion, the most valuable. My guides in this musical and visual wandering were Takis Kalogeropoulos’ Dictionary of Greek Music and my musical past. The series of these works was titled Panharmonia after a verse by Kostis Palamas, and also after the name of an emblematic orchestra of young musicians of the 70s – active amidst the dictatorship –  who believed that a nation’s soul lies in their culture and education.”, notes Sophia Kalogeropoulou.

The Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera Giorgos Koumendakis notes: “It is with great pleasure that the Greek National Opera presents the exhibition of the distinguished painter Sophia Kalogeropoulou, whose works have been displayed in numerous exhibitions in Greece and abroad. It’s not only that Sophia Kalogeropoulou has studied music and has moreover appeared as a soloist at the Vienna State Opera; it’s that these particular paintings, full of bright colours, tell stories inspired by the music works and entries from the Dictionary of Greek Music written by her husband, Takis Kalogeropoulos. A few months ago, thanks to the important donation of Mrs Kalogeropoulou,  the Greek National opera came into possession of the archive of composer and musician Takis Kalogeropoulos and of the one of Sophia Kalogeropoulou herself, an extremely valuable and rich in material archive. It comprises a significant number of valuable records that can serve as a great raw material for future research papers and musical performances. Among other things, it includes about 250 publications of music and musicological books, a great number of musical editions of works by Greek and foreign composers, a multitude of articles and programme booklets, and more than 250 photographs, some of which are completely unknown to the Greek musical and musicological community. It is very important that over the last years increasingly more collectors and artists entrust their valuable collections and archives to the Greek National Opera, showing in practice how much they appreciate the organisation and its work. Sophia Kalogeropoulou’s exhibition with paintings inspired by musical compositions but also with records from the archive of Takis Kalogeropoulos is a first gesture in an effort to bring out this rare archive that has been recently acquired by the Greek National Opera, and I hope that it will encourage more collectors to entrust their valuable archives to our organisation.

The exhibition is curated by the painter’s daughter, Dione Kalogeropoulou. “The literal meaning of the term ‘curating’ in Greek is ‘to look after and show interest in something’.  It was on this basis –  as a curator in the literal, core sense of the word and less as a standard professional curator –  that I accepted to set out on this complicated journey of organising a painting exhibition that was also meant to be a very personal affair. The particular difficulty in this venture and my initial concern was how to find the most appropriate way to create a parallel presentation of the important work of two persons who also shared a common life path, and moreover, in such an emblematic venue – in terms of architecture and culturally – as the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. The answer came with the word “simplicity”.  The work of my father, Takis Kalogeropoulos,  as a composer and author – that culminated with the Dictionary of Greek Music, upon which the current painting exhibition is based –,  as well as the rich and luminous works of my mother, Sophia Kalogeropoulou, needed no special introduction or intervention. The exhibition is titled Panharmonia, because it aspires to become a single language of ‘harmony’, a concept that, at the end of the day, is so important for humans and the human soul”, notes Dione Kalogeropoulou.

Visual art workshop for children: Pop Operas

The Learning & Participation Department of the Greek National Opera in collaboration with visual artist and pedagogue Angeliki Bozou conduct the visual art workshop Pop Operas, as part of Sophia Kalogeropoulou’s exhibition Panharmonia. The workshop is targeted at children aged 6 to 10 and will be held on Sundays 13, 20, 27 March and 3 April 2022 at the Book Castle of the National Library of Greece (NLG) in the SNFCC.

The Pop Operas workshop aims at introducing children to the painting technique of Sophia Kalogeropoulou and the subject matters of her works. The self-taught painter’s naif style will be a chance for them to realise that modern art doesn’t have to be difficult to grasp or too perfect, but that it can be a way of expression that they can relate to. The workshop will help children create their own narrative sketchbook, by collecting and recreating elements from Sophia Kalogeropoulou’s paintings. Through the pages of a handcrafted notebook participants will try their hand at new ways of making paper constructions, creating a 3D environment that will host the buildings and the creatures of the world of the painter’s works.

Meanwhile, the students-visitors of the exhibition will have the unique chance to receive a handout with creative activities and equipment for pop-up constructions inspired by Sophia Kalogeropoulou’s work, that will help them enjoy a creative wandering through the exhibition.

Workshop leader: Angeliki Bozou
Age group: 6-10 years
Dates & schedule of workshops: Sundays 13, 20, 27 March & 3 April 2022, 10:00-12:00 & 12:30-14:30
Each workshop is independent.

*The detailed programme of the music events will be announced soon at nationalopera.gr

THE ARCHIVE OF TAKIS KALOGEROPOULOS AND SOPHIA KALOGEROPOULOU

The Music Library – Historical Archive of the Greek National Opera received a few weeks ago the priceless archive of Takis Kalogeropoulos and Sophia Kalogeropoulou, which is of special historical value for the study, evaluation and documentation of various aspects of the Greek musical life.

This archive includes a significant number of unique records that can form a great basis for future research papers and musical performances, such as some of the autograph scores of Takis Kalogeropoulos’ works, as well as his transcriptions-adaptations of traditional folk tunes, and other works by Greek composers, the many manuscripts and copies of autograph works by Konstantinos Kydoniatis, Georgios Poniridis etc.

It also comprises about 250 publications of music and musicological books (in Greek and other foreign languages), a significant number of music works by Greek and foreign composers (over 300), a multitude of press articles and programme booklets, a great number of Takis Kalogeropoulos’ notes on various subjects around Greek music and the life of some of its major representatives, a small part of his correspondence, some posters, and a few vinyl and compact disc recordings. Finally, the archive includes more than 500 (black-and-white and colour) photographs, some of which are completely unknown to the Greek music and musicological community.

Yannis Belonis

— Head of GNO’s Music Library and Historical Archive

SOPHIA KALOGEROPOULOU

Sophia Kalogeropoulou was born in Athens, Greece in 1946 and is a graduate of the American College of Greece (Pierce College). She has studied Law and Political Science and Economics at the University of Athens. She has also studied Music at the Athens Conservatory and at the Studio of the Vienna State Opera (Austria). She appeared as a soloist in the Vienna State Opera (1976-77). In the art of painting, she is self-taught. Since 1990 she has participated in many art exhibitions in Greece and abroad (Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Turkey, USA). She was married to the composer-musicologist Takis Kalogeropoulos (1946-2009) and she has two daughters: Dione and Daphne.

Opening concert – Musicians' biographies 

Natalia Michailidou Piano

Born in Istanbul, she started piano lessons with her mother and gave her first recital at the age of five. She studied at L’École Normale de Musique de Paris on scholarship by the French Government and was awarded the highest diploma with special distinction at the age of 17. She continued her postgraduate studies at the Washington University (USA). She received awards in three international competitions. She has given concerts worldwide, at international festivals in collaboration with leading conductors and soloists, and has performed with major orchestras in Greece and abroad. Many of her concerts have been broadcast live. Although her specialisation is in French music, her mastery of the piano extends to a very broad repertoire. Many composers have dedicated works to her, works that were first performed by her. She has collaborated with Eleni Karaindrou and Theo Angelopoulos. She has taught in seminars in Greece and abroad and has often been a member of jury panels at international piano competitions worldwide. She received the Record Award by the Greek Critics Union and she is president of the European Piano Teachers Association – Hellas. She also teaches at the Athens Conservatoire, the N. Skalkottas Conservatoire, L’École Normale de Musique de Paris, and the postgraduate programme of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. 

Evangelos Christopoulos Oboe

Internationally acclaimed oboist, famous for his long-standing career with the Athens State Orchestra (first oboe), as well as for his participation in the many music albums of Eleni Karaindrou. He graduated from the Athens Conservatoire and was awarded the first prize (1971). Later on he excelled in his studies at the Music Academy of Munich, where he received positive reviews for his chamber music concerts and recordings with the Munich Bach Choir under the baton of Karl Richter. As a soloist he has performed with all the Greek orchestras, as well as with the Sofia and Taiwan Symphony Orchestras, the Stuttgart and Tallinn Chamber Orchestras, the Orchestra of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia, the Beethoven Now! Chamber Orchestra (Helsinki) and many more, in Greece and abroad. He has been highly active in the field of chamber music and has worked together with his wife and pianist Natalia Michailidou, the trio Ekfrasis, the trio Amfilyki, the string quartet of the Athens State Orchestra, the Greek Wind Quintet, etc. Many Greek composers have dedicated works to him. He was elected twice as General Secretary of the Greek Music Association. In 2000 he was invited as first oboe to the Euro-Asian Orchestra ASEM in Korea. His live performances, as well as his recordings (especially in works of Eleni Karaindrou) have received excellent reviews. 

Yorgos Mouloudakis Guitar

A prolific recording guitar soloist, teacher, composer, prose and essay writer. He collaborated, among others, with musicians Stella Gadedi, Aris Christofellis, Katrin Zenz, Yannis Ioannidis, directors Lefteris Vogiatzis, Ploutarchos Kaitatzis, and poet Evgenios Aranitsis. He helped build a repertoire of Greek works for guitar that was presented at international festivals and led to the creation of a new guitar school. Manos Hadjidakis, Nikos Mamangakis, Theodore Antoniou, Giorgos Koumendakis, Nikos Kypourgos, and Vangelis Boudounis have dedicated works to him. His poetry collections have been published by Gavriilidis publishing house, and his essays and literary texts on hartismag.gr and yorgosmouloudakis.wordpress.com. In collaboration with Studio 19 he created multimedia performances such as Faust, Istoria tou Matiou, and Imerologio enos Allou, portraying a groundbreaking concept through the contrasting use of image, sound, speech, and music. The work Rizitika – O kyklos tis zois stin Kriti marked a lyrical return to his place of origin (Crete). He was the first to perform the entire guitar-centred oeuvre of Manos Hadjidakis, including his unique work for solo guitar that was dedicated to him.

Organised by the Greek National Opera (GNO), in collaboration with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) and the National Library of Greece (NLG)