Elemis quartet awakening Abuja with Chamber music

The group performing for the fifth time in Nigeria took guests down memory lane as they went back in time performing songs from the 1600s to the early 1970s. Teasing ears well attuned to such music genre, they performed works of masters like Mozart, Handel, Falla, Piazolla, Brahms and Say. There were also performances from […]

The group performing for the fifth time in Nigeria took guests down memory lane as they went back in time performing songs from the 1600s to the early 1970s.
Teasing ears well attuned to such music genre, they performed works of masters like Mozart, Handel, Falla, Piazolla, Brahms and Say.
There were also performances from works of Dimitris Dragatakis, Leonidas Kanaris, Lakovos Konitopoulos and Mikis Theodorakis.
Further showing their versatility, was a performance of a Yoruba folklore, ‘Ore Meta.’
According to the Greek ambassador to Nigeria, Alekos Ikonomopoulos, it was a cultural event to mark the end of the Greek presidency of the European Union (EU), which began on January 1 and ends on June 30. “We felt we should organise this which is the third event. The first was a Greek night with Greek music, food and dance with all the performances showing in Lagos as well to promote the image of Greece.”
Noting that this is the fifth time Greece has been on the presidential seat of the EU, with the most important being the fourth in 2004, which coincided with the enlargement of the EU from 15 to 25 member states, Ikonomopoulos said it has not exactly had any positive impact on the country in the light of the economic crunch it has suffered.
The quartet made up of violinist, Stella Tsani; pianist, Titos Gouvelis; violist, Mikhall Smirnov; and cellist, Christophor Miroshnikov; known internationally for performing on various world stages and events and have released CDs including ‘Hellanion’.
The event, which also included a photographic exhibition by Thomas Gravanis, showed off scenic Greek which confirmed why regardless of the hardships the Hellenic nation faces, tourists are always drawn to the country.
Guests like Mrs. Elizabeth Ayodele, wife of the Nigerian ambassador to Greece, said traditionally, Greece has a long cultural history which they take a lot of pride in showing off; even the Olympics.
“It is a richly cultural society which modern day trends have not eroded. “I think the Ambassador took a good decision to bring the piano recital group to mark this landmark event for them,” Ayodele said.