Region of Crete stages ‘Tradition and Memory’ concerts at Ancient Aptera in September

The Region of Crete will hold two concerts titled “Tradition and Memory” at the theatre of Ancient Aptera, in Chania, on Thursday, September 3, and Friday, September 4, organized in collaboration with the Chania Chamber Music Festival.

Free tickets for the concerts will be available starting Tuesday, August 18, at 12:00, through the website ticketservices.gr, according to the organizers.

Programme

Violinist Giorgos Demertzis will perform the Violin Sonata by Nikos Skalkottas, one of Greece’s leading 20th-century composers. According to the organizers, Demertzis has played a significant role in promoting Skalkottas’s work through live performances and recordings.

The Choi sisters are also scheduled to perform the Duo by Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly, a piece the organizers describe as combining technical virtuosity with the musical language of the Central European tradition.

Each concert will close with Johannes Brahms’s String Quintet No. 2, a work from the chamber music repertoire.

Venue and background

The Region of Crete has described the concerts at Ancient Aptera as part of a series that, in recent years, has become a recurring feature at the site, combining classical music performances with the location’s historical setting. The Region of Crete’s music festival has also staged other performances this summer, including a piano recital in Heraklion.

The Aptera concerts add to a wider calendar of cultural programming across the island this summer, alongside events such as the Chania Film Festival, which is also preparing for an upcoming edition. A broader list of upcoming performances and gatherings is available on the Events in Crete page.