Greece's most reknown festival of classical music honoured this year the music and artists of the Nordic countries. The festival was running from 19 to 28 June at various venues across the old town of Nafplion, attracting audiences from all over Greece.
Nafplion is a magnet in the summer for classical music lovers, with the Nafplion festival held every June for the last 18 years under artistic director Yannis Vakarelis. This year, the festival was dedicated to classical music from the Nordic countries. A detailed programme can be seen on:
www.nafplionfestival.gr
Grieg Trio
The Grieg Trio is one of the leading piano trios in the world, and has received international acclaim for their outstanding talent. During the Nafplion festival, they will interpret works by Grieg and Beethoven among others.
Norwegian Sveinung Bjelland (piano) performed on Saturday 20 June with one of the oldest orchestras in the world, the Royal Danish Orchestra. Bjelland is known as a versatile and prolific artist, with experience both as artist and soloist, as well as festival director of the Gloger Festival in Kongsberg.
The Palamidi Castle was the arena of Norwegian folk music on Saturday 27 June with a performance by the Trondheim Soloists with Gjermund Larsen. The ensemble is in the forefront of classical music, and has among others been praised for their recordings of Vivalidi "Four Seasons" with Anne-Sophie Mutter on Deutsche Grammofon.
The Trondheim Soloists
The Nordic participation is the result of a co-operation among the embassies of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, and is supported by the Nordic Culture Fund.