The eight Spring Organ Series is kicked off by a concert featuring the Norwegian organist Arnfinn Tobiassen on Saturday March 12.
Arnfinn Tobiassen are performing together with the soprano Zinovia-Maria Zafeiriadou and the Slovenian tenor Primož Vidovič at St Paul’s Anglican Church in Athens. The concert is supported by The Norwegian Embassy.
The audience will have the chance to listen to pre-classical arias from the works J. S. Bach from Johannes Passion and Matthäus-Passion as well as from Handel oratorio Samson. The organist will perform solo organ pieces such as Mozart’s Ouverture in C-dur, Felix Mendelssohn’s Organ Sonata Op 65 and Oskar Lindberg’s Sonata in G, Op. 23.
The soprano Zinovia-Maria Zafeiriadou will perform “Solveigs Sang” by Edvard Grieg., the soprano, will perform “Solveigs Sang” by Edvard Grieg, which was written for Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt. We have the rare opportunity to listen to this aria, which nowadays is mostly performed on a violin rather than sang.
Primož Vidovič, the tenor, will perform ‘Domine Deus’ from Petite messe solennelle (Rossini) and Bach’s ‘Deposuit potentes’ from Magnificat. The audience will have also the opportunity to listen to duets for soprano and tenor such as Robert Schumann’s Tanzlied Op. 78, and Bach’s duet from Cantata no 112 and ‘Verzage nicht’-duet from Cantata no. 42.
Arnfinn Tobiassen studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London with acclaimed organists such as James O’Donnell, Susan Landale, David Titterington and Lionel Rogg. He has performed in venues such as Westminster Abbey (UK), Neresheim Abteikirche (Germany), and the Basilica of St James’ in Prague (Czech Republic), and future engagements include recitals in Edinburgh and in France.
In 2006 he won 1st Prize in the International Organ Competition in Opava, Czech Republic, competing against 30 organists from Europe and Asia. Recently he has been appointed Director of Music at the historic Church of St Olav’s, Avaldsnes, near Stavanger in Norway.
The Spring Organ Series 2011 counts 8 years of presence in the Athenian audience. This year amongst the musicians invited to play, are young and upcoming organists and musicians from Greece and abroad. Having already a fruitful past, the Spring Organ Series, has presented to the Athenian audience original and innovative programmes of high standard in aesthetics, performance and interpretation.
Between the 12th of March and the 20th of April, Athens hosts once more a musical festival, unique in its kind in Europe, with five exceptional concerts and proposes an extra reason to visit Athens.
Ticket prices: 15€
Students (up to 25 years old): 10€
Children (up to 12 years old): 5€