“The Great Provocateur” – Part II by Dimitris Papadimitriou

Titled “The Great Provocateur, Part II,” composer Dimitris Papadimitriou’s new, ground-breaking song cycle devoted to avant-garde and progressive poetry from around the globe will be performed on the Small Stage of the Onassis Foundation’s Stegi on November 22 and 23.

Aristophanes, Villon, Cavafy, Karyotakis, Koropoulis, Laforgue, Palamas, Seferis, Schinas, Auden are but a few of the poets set to music by Papadimitriou in an attempt to bring to light their “provocations.” In so doing, he also boldly references the Irish tradition.

In Papadimitriou’s own words, “the cycle’s title intentionally plays on the notion of provocation – a nod to the ‘great heretic’ – in honour of those who are not afraid of self-mockery, in other words it is a title that mocks those who hold themselves in high honour (I mean this playfully, of course) – something very much in the spirit of our own Manos Hadjidakis and his ‘Great Erotic’ song cycle, as some of you may have guessed.”

Vocalists Veronica Davaki, Panos Papaioannou, and Giorgos Florakis will perform, accompanied by an ensemble of ten musicians. The performance is part of the Contemporary Music and Poetry Cycle organized by the Hellenic Project, which aims to support and promote contemporary musical creativity and original projects. The performance of new works provides a platform for the younger generation of artists, and an opportunity for the public to discover global poetic traditions through the medium of music.

“The Great Provocateur, Part II” closes the cycle conceived by Papadimitriou in December 2018. The first part of the cycle premiered on Stegi’s Small Stage in February, 2019. The Contemporary Music and Poetry Cycle provides support for new musical compositions that draw from particular moments in the history of world poetry. The HELLENIC PROJECT suggests the themes that our composers then use as their inspiration.