On Friday, August 8th, 2025 at 21:00, the garden of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum will host a special evening under the full moon titled "A Magical Night – Mikis Theodorakis & Nikos Skalkottas."

Admission is free, until all available seats are filled.

The event is held in collaboration with the Region of Crete and is part of the 5th Crete Festival, marking 2025 as the official year dedicated to Mikis Theodorakis.

The Athens String Quartet will perform ten of the most beloved songs and one string quartet by Theodorakis, alongside the vibrant energy of five traditional dances from Crete, Epirus, the Peloponnese, and Central Greece, arranged in the unique style of Nikos Skalkottas.

Mikis Theodorakis, born in 1925 in Chios to Cretan and Asia Minor roots, carved the path of post-war Greek art music. He fused Greek folk sounds with Byzantine melody and the classical European tradition. As one of the most influential figures of his time, he used his music to voice his deep patriotic and political beliefs during turbulent decades. His songs became the soundtrack of Greek life—at work, at home, in celebration—and gave comfort to the Greek diaspora. His other work—operas, symphonies, and chamber music—remains lesser-known to wider audiences.

Nikos Skalkottas, born in Chalkida in 1904, took a different path. Twenty years older than Theodorakis, he was a key figure of the Second Viennese School and a close friend of Mikis, bonded by mutual respect.

Skalkottas brought Greek traditional music into concert halls and conservatories around the world, blending it seamlessly with the European classical repertoire. A leading force in the modernist movement, he was a prolific composer until his untimely death in Athens in September 1949.

Wanting to honour both composers who shaped contemporary Greek music and helped spread Greek culture far beyond its borders, the Heraklion Archaeological Museum invites visitors to rediscover and celebrate their music under the glow of the August full moon.

Performers:

• Soprano: Vivi Sikioti

• Athens String Quartet, featuring members of the Athens State Orchestra and the Greek National Opera Orchestra:

  • Apollon Grammatikopoulos (violin)

  • Panagiotis Tziotis (violin)

  • Angela Giannaki (viola)

  • Isidoros Sideris (cello)

Date: Friday, August 8, 2025
Time: 21:00
Location: Garden of the Heraklion Archaeological Museum
Admission: Free