Galan Trio Raw Portraits

As a call to the musical forces of our time, the Greek Composers Union presents a programme comprising works by five composers, alongside two new commissions. It is a carefully curated selection of pieces that were either written specifically for the evening’s protagonists – the Galan Trio – or have since become established reference points within the contemporary Greek piano trio repertoire. 

The organising principle underpinning the programme is both clear and riveting: the presentation of works that embrace a diversity of aesthetic and technical approaches, seeking to capture the breadth, vivacity, and ongoing creative ferment of today’s ever-evolving laboratory of contemporary Greek music. All participating composers – Dionysis Boukouvalas, Eleni Ralli, Stylianos Dimou, Sofia Sergi, and Christina Athinodorou – are distinguished members of the Union, each representing distinct creative orbits and formal concerns across the spectrum of Greek musical production in the first quarter of the twenty-first century.  

Special mention must be made of the Union’s initiative to commission two new works through an open call, which will serve as the culmination of the evening. This constitutes a conscious and forward-looking gesture, one that acknowledges the continuum of musical creation in Greece – a core mission of the Union, which sustained its activities even during the years of the German Occupation – and affirms the need to remain attuned to the emergent voices shaping the musical landscape of tomorrow. The two new works are by Fani Kosona and Dimitris Mousouras. 

As a testament to its vital connection with contemporary Greek creation, the demanding task of performing these works is entrusted to the Galan Trio. Renowned for its dynamic stage presence and unflappable commitment to the living pulse of art music, the ensemble moves with assured virtuosity between the imperatives of the classical repertoire and a spirit of exploration, fostered through the commissioning and performance of new works for piano trio. Following the presentation of original programmes across Europe and the United States, the Galan Trio’s return to the Athens Epidaurus Festival – after its appearance in 2018 as part of the Claude Debussy tribute – marks a welcome homecoming and a shared occasion for celebration.