ATHENS – The musical talent found in Athens – in all genres and in a variety of venues – is wonderful and at times remarkable. Visitors who don’t come every year will miss the new ones, and one of the finest is the Dryades Quartet of gifted women who recently presented a concert at the Philippos Nakas Concert Hall in Athens Centre.
There was not a free seat on the main level or the balcony on March 31, a night to remember featuring Claude Debussy’s ‘Claire de lune’, Charles Gounod’s ‘Maid of Athens’ based on the poetry of Lord Byron and orchestration by Achilleas Wastor, Debussy’s ‘Romance’, Gabriel Fauré’s ‘Après un rêve’, Maurice Ravel’s inspiring ‘Cinq mélodies populaires grecques’ (Five popular Greek songs), Debussy’s Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp, and ‘Carmen Suite’, arranged by Judy Loman and based on Georges Bizet’s beloved opera.
Performing were Melina Makri on flute and soprano Katia Paschou, teachers at the Kodaly Conservatoire, along with Krystalia Gaitanou on viola and harpist Evangelia Kiosoglou.
One of the highlights, which the audience was delighted to hear again as an encore, was the Carmen Suite, which beautifully showcased the musicianship of each of the instrumentalists, Makri, Gaitanou, and Kiosoglou, as well as the voice and acting of Paschou.
