Presented as part of the 39th Greek Festival of Sydney, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the declaration of the Greek War of Independence.
A symphony concert directed by George Ellis at Sydney Town Hall on Thursday 25 March, 2021.
Dionysios Solomos wrote his famous Hymn to Liberty in 1823, when the Greek War of Independence was at a critical stage. In its 158 stanzas the poem relates events in the war up to that point. It was set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros, and in 1865 the first verses were adopted as the Greek National Anthem. This concert was the first presentation of the work in Australia. It was performed by a thirty-piece orchestra, and with soloists Maria Yiakoulis, George Karantonis and Leon Vitogiannis.