Katerina Nafplioti Panagopoulos presents Athens Philharmonic in Review
Yiannis Hadjiloizou, Artistic & Music Director
Larisa Martinez, soprano; Daveda Karanas, mezzo-soprano
New York Choral Society
David Hayes, Music Director
Stern Auditorium, at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
October 10, 2019
In a concert in memory of Pericles Panagopoulos, and to support the construction of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine (to replace the original that was destroyed on September 11, 2001), the newly formed Athens Philharmonic took the stage at Carnegie Hall in a program of two Cypriot works and Gustav Mahler’s monumental Second Symphony, the Resurrection. Program notes were printed in Greek and English, and a short message of welcome from the concert sponsor Katerina Nafplioti Panagopoulos referred to New York as a place where no one is a “foreigner” including her late husband and even Mahler himself. Her idea was that faith and love triumphing over fear and death.
Formed in early 2019 by the energetic pianist/composer/conductor Yiannis Hadjiloizou (b. 1976), the Athens Philharmonic (AthensPhilharmonic.gr) staged their first concert on April 23 in Athens. Tonight’s concert was the introduction of this orchestra to Carnegie Hall, and the hall was filled to capacity with supporters (although the top two tiers were closed).
At 8:15pm, Mr. Hadjiloizou took to the stage. Two US premieres, the Ballet from Act II of the opera 9th of July 1821, by the conductor’s father Michael Hadjiloizou (b. 1945), and his own Cyprus Dance No.1, Servikos, opened the evening. The Ballet opens with the sounds of what the composer calls “the melodic tweet of a bird in the forest of Kykkos,” then shifts to a Christian hymn “We Praise You,” then returns to opening material . This Ballet is a lively, charming piece that got the night off to a good start. Servikos takes Brahms and Dvořák as role models, and while the brilliance of these masters is much in evidence, the sounds have a more than a little Bartókian flavor. Servikos is a definite crowd pleaser!
So far, so good, but the real test awaited in the Mahler. Let’s get some of the criticisms out of the way. As might be expected by a group that has been together for only about six months, there were some ensemble issues that should work themselves out as time goes on. There were some moments where the intonation was not up to standard, with a few instances of clashes between strings and horns that jarred, especially in the opening movement. It would seem that most of the issues were in the opening movements, so I will not nitpick too much, but attribute them to a combination of nerves and “growing pains.”
In the grand scheme of things, these issues were minor hiccups in what was a remarkable performance, all the more so considering how new this orchestra is. Maestro Hadjiloizou was impressive. He has a commanding presence on the podium, his direction is crisp, his motions are precise and economical, and his mastery of the score was much in evidence. His approach was well thought out, and he maintained a firm hand on the wheel, never allowing things to devolve into bombast.
Mezzo-soprano Daveda Karanas’s voice was radiant in the Urlicht movement, and the clear voice of soprano Larisa Martinez was heavenly. The New York Choral Society was perfection, and their pianissimos were breathtaking!
Maestro Hadjiloizou and the orchestra saved their best for the final movement, which brought the evening to a triumphant close. The audience responded with a loud, extended roar of approval, justly deserved. The future should be bright for this promising orchestra.
