Concert "Hymn to Freedom" at the Hero of Kalavrita
The main concern of the Greek revolutionaries - from the beginning of their liberation struggle - was the occupation of the fortresses of Greece. In this context is included the attempt to occupy the Acropolis of Athens, since its occupation provided the opportunity to the Greeks to control the whole of Attica. This pursuit was a constant and anxious "bras de fer" between the Ottomans and the Greeks, a military operation with no apparent end, which experienced upheavals, as it sometimes leaned in favor of one side and sometimes in favor of the other. In this way, Athens gradually became the center of military operations in the eastern St. Greece, in which none of the wars finally managed to dominate completely and irrevocably until the end of hostilities. The first revolutionary actions in the region were carried out at the end of April by local chiefs, such as M. Vassiliou from Hasia, T. Skourtaniotis from Dervenochoria, G. Davari from the Mediterranean (Liopesi), who with about 600 casually armed men entered at the same time. in Athens and occupied it. The Ottomans of the city were forced to take refuge in the Acropolis, to protect themselves. In a short time, Ottoman troops - under Omer Vryonis and Omer Bey - arrived in Attica, reinforced the besieged with military equipment and food, and disbanded the Greek camp.
During his greeting, the Regional Governor of Western Greece, Nektarios Farmakis, underlined that the concert takes place in the place where "everything started" and is a tribute to the historical past but also an opportunity to reflect on the historical continuity of the country. "Two hundred years later, we stand in the same places where those who first shouted 'freedom or death' stood and gave us a homeland, which we must always make better," said Mr. Farmakis, adding that the course of Western Greece in in time it is interwoven with the course of Hellenism itself. "From Kalavrita we send to all of Greece, but also to Hellenism where on earth, a great message of love and hope: As long as the flame burns, we have nothing to fear," he pointed out.
Mr. Farmakis thanked all the actors of the show and separately, the Athanasios and Marina Martinou Public Benefit Foundation, which contributed greatly to the renovation of the Hero's space, being a unique place for all of Greece, a place of memory and honor.
In the aftermath of the concert, the Deputy Regional Head of Administration and e-Government, responsible for coordinating the anniversary events, Andreas Filias, noted the following:
"Rigas Feraios wrote" for the Homeland, let us all have a heart ". These verses come to my mind in the night of July 23 in Kalavrita at the Hero of National Polygenesis Fighters of 1821. It was a night that all of us who had the pleasure to be there watched with one heart, one soul, the emblematic work of our national poet Dionysiou Solomou "Hymn to Freedom". I hope that in this all-encompassing atmosphere we lived under the sounds of the ERT Symphony Orchestra and the voices of the Patras Mixed-Children Polyphonic Orchestra, Greeks will have the opportunity to become social in all parts of our homeland and in every corner of the globe, when it is broadcast through the frequency of Public Television. With deep gratitude I want to thank the Mixed-Children's Polyphonic Choir of Patras and the ERT Symphony Orchestra. The words, moments like these, are small to express my appreciation for the person of the conductor, Alki Balta, the Artistic Director of the Patras Polyphonic Choir, Stavros Solomos and the soprano, Irini Karagianni. The impeccable collaboration we had confirmed in my eyes that their artistic prestige can only compete with the greatness of their soul. Of course, I can not fail to mention the Mayor of Kalavrita, Thanassis Papadopoulos, who embraced and supported with all his might this initiative of the Region of Western Greece.
And of course, because a result like the one we all experienced does not result from the effort of a single person with absolute respect, I thank the parents of the young artists of the Children's Polyphonic Choir of Patras, the Red Cross, the ERT employees, the Achaia Police Department, its employees Municipality of Kalavrita and the Region of Western Greece and finally our Regional Governor, Nektarios Farmakis for his presence at the event and his uninterrupted support. We will all happily live together equally moving moments on September 7 in the Holy City of Messolonghi, in the Garden of Heroes ".
The concert took place with the participation of the Symphony Orchestra and the ERT Choir, the Mixed and Children's Choir of our Organization [Conductor: Stavros Solomos- Aretousa Nikolopoulou] and two additional Mixed and one or two Children's choirs, conducted by Chief Musician Alkis.
PLACE: IN THE HERO OF GREEK FIGHTERS LOCATED AGAINST THE HOLY MONASTERY OF AGIAS LAVRAS IN KALAVRITA.
TIME: 23/7/2021
