Music

The coronavirus has certainly taken its toll on millions of people's mental health, with many having to be isolated for many months and worried about the future that awaits them as the pandemic is not set to end any time soon.

Two respected Greek pianists, Vassilis Varvaresos and Alexia Mouza, will perform a recital as part of the Athens Concert Hall's online program on Wednesday, January 13. The pair will play Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Rachmaninov's Suite No 2, Opus 17, and Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" Fantasy for Two Pianos. The show is free to view and starts at 8.30 p.m., at megaron.gr.

The measure will end on January 21

The Onassis Foundation is supporting the independent Greek music scene with a series of screenings of audience-free concerts from iconic venues like the AN Club and Gagarin 205 in Athens. On January 10, its YouTube channel will be showing a career-spanning set by stoner rock act Nightstalker, live from the Gagarin 205, at 9 p.m.

The Christmas Theater cultural program will be streaming a performance of Giuseppe Verdi's "Aida" from the historic La Scala theater in Milan on its website from January 8-10, with Greek subtitles. The four-act tale of love, rivalry, betrayal and, most importantly, rebellion, was first performed in December 1871 in Cairo and then made its European premiere at La Scala in February 1872.

The finishing touches were being put on a glitzy show at the Sydney Opera House on Jan. 2, as the venue prepared to host an opera crowd for the first time since March.

"The Merry Widow" will open on Jan. 5 to masked audiences up to 75 percent capacity, in a sign of hope for a performing arts industry crippled by the pandemic, artistic director Lyndon Terracini told AFP.

The video got plenty of love…

Some 2,500 partygoers attended an illegal New Year rave in northwestern France, violently clashing with police who failed to stop it and sparking concern the underground event could spread the coronavirus, authorities said on Jan. 1. 

Saturday is your last chance to catch the streamed version of violinist Leonidas Kavakos' stunning solo performance at the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus last July.

In what was one of the undisputed highlights of last year's albeit limited cultural calendar, the acclaimed Greek violinist paid tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach.

Μπορεί να το αγαπάτε κι εσείς.