“Hymn to Liberty”
Festival of Corfu 2021 for the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution
Curated by Megakles Rogakos, MA MA Phd
Organised by the Corfu Heritage Foundation
under the auspices of the Region of Ionian Islands
with the support of the Corfu Municipality
and the sponsorship of Aegeas N.P.C., Piraeus Bank and Lady Marina Marks
“Hymn to Liberty”
Events for the Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821 in Corfu
To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821, the Corfu Heritage Foundation programmes a series of cultural events related to the letters, music and the visual arts. These events are generally entitled “Hymn to Liberty” and cover the importance of the Greek Revolution and the role played by the Ionian Islands during this period. The events will take place at the Municipal Gallery of Corfu and the Cultural Foundation of Tinos, during the months of July and September 2021, and are run under the auspices of the Region of Ionian Islands, the support of the Municipality of Corfu and the sponsorship of the Piraeus Bank.
EVENTS | The festivities will begin with the unveiling of the Obelisk in memory of the Corfiots who heroically fought against the Ottoman invasion of 1716, at the new roundabout of the Corfu Port Authority. Greetings will be addressed by the Governor of the Ionian Islands, Mrs Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou. This will be followed by a spectacular concert on the theme “Hymn to Liberty” by Nikolaos Mantzaros performed by the Mantzaros Philharmonic Society and the Kapodistrias Philharmonic Association under the direction of Socrates Anthis and the collaboration of the Corfu Choir under the direction of Takis Metallinos.
Lectures | Three lectures will be presented at the Corfu Reading Society, under the curatorship of its Director Mr Dimitris Zymaris.
• Spyros I. Nicolaou, State Counselor Emeritus, under the title “The European Dimension of the Greek Revolution of 1821”.
• Major General Dr Nikolaos K. Kourkoumelis under the title “The Filiki Eteria in Corfu, the Persons and the Affinities”.
• Helena Matheopoulos under the title “The Greek Revolution of 1821 as Inspiration for Music”.
Musical Events | Seven concerts of the Mantzaros Philharmonic Society with excerpts from operas of European and Corfiot composers, will be presented in the courtyard of the Church of St George in the Old Fortress under the supervision of Ms Helena Matheopoulos.
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): The Ruins of Athens (1811).
• Hector Berlioz (1803-1869): La Révolution Grècque (1826), Cantata “Scène Héroïque” (baritone and choir).
• Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868): L’assedio di Corinto (1826), “Giusto ciel” (soprano).
• Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901): Il Corsaro (1848), Aria of Medora (soprano) and Corrado (tenor), “Per me infelice vedi costei”.
• Pavlos Carrer (1829-1896): Markos Botsaris (1860): Aria of Markos, “Gero-Dimos”.
• Pavlos Carrer (1829-1896): Kyra Frosini (1868), Aria of Ali Pasha, “April appeared” (baritone).
• Pavlos Carrer (1829-1896): Despo, the heroine of Souli (1875), Aria of Triumph (mixed choir).
Visual Art Exhibitions | Two exhibitions curated by Dr Megakles Rogakos.
• “Hymn to Liberty” – Historical exhibition to be presented at the Municipal Gallery of Corfu, 4 – 31 August 2021.
• “Ex-Staseis: Attempts at the Representation of Liberty” – Contemporary art exhibition to be presented at the Cultural Foundation of Tinos, 10 July – 10 September 2021.
CONTRIBUTORS
Almpani, Maria – Alma Contemporary Art Gallery, Director
Baloti, Xeni D. – Scientific Associate
Bogdanos, Spyros – Scientific Associate of Ionian Islands, Paxos
Demeti, Katerina – Scientific Associate of Ionian Islands, Zakynthos
Flamburiari, Spiro – Corfu Heritage Foundation, President
Floros, Andreas – Ionian University, Rector
Gkotsi, Aleka – Design Bond, Designer
Grammatopoulou, Gianna – Ekfrasi Art Gallery, Director
Harou-Koroneou, Eleni – Scientific Associate of Ionian Islands, Kythira
Kourkoumelis, Nikolaos – Scientific Associate
Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, Rodi – Ionian Islands Region, Regional Governor
Matheopoulos Helena – Scientific Associate
Moraitis, Spyros – Gallery of the Municipality of Corfu, President
Moustakas, Nikos – Ionian University, Supervisor of Audio & Video
Nicolaou, Spyros – Research Fellow
Padovas, Spyros – Corfu Philharmonic Society, President
Pagratis Periklis – Solomos Museum of Corfu, President
Paizi-Apostolopoulou, Machi – Scientific Associate of the Ionian Islands, Ithaca
Pieris, Giannis S. – Scientific Associate of Ionian Islands, Corfu
Rizopoulos, George – Collector
Rogakos, Megakles – Corfu Heritage Foundation, Curator
Roussou, Maria – Scientific Associate of Ionian Islands, Lefkada
Tassopoulou, Maria – Scientific Associate of Ionian Islands, Lefkada
Tritsis, Macis – Design Bond, Designer
Trivizas, Ioannis Ch. – Mantzaros Philharmonic Society, President
Varkarakis, Michalis – Philhellenic Collection Varkarakis
Vidalis, Markos – Cultural Foundation of Tinos, Executive Director
Ydraiou, Meropi – Municipality of Corfu, Mayor
Zafeiratou, Theodora – Scientific Associate of Ionian Islands, Kefalonia
Zervos, Haris – Kapodistrias Philharmonic Association, President
Zymaris, Dimitris – Corfu Reading Society, Director
GREETINGS
In 2021 we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 1821, in a climate of global uncertainty, due to the pandemic, but also confidence, owing to our past. If we consider that two centuries ago the Greeks, a small people with great soul rose up against their oppressors, overthrew the Ottoman Empire, conquered our freedom and achieved our independence and the creation of our national state, it suffices for us to draw strength hereafter.
2021 marks 221 years after the inception of the Septinsular Republic in the Ionian Sea, that is the first Greek state after the catalysis of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottomans, in 1453. The Septinsular Republic, although short-lived (1800-1807), had a large impact on the leaders of the Revolution, led by Theodoros Kolokotronis. However, special, among them, is the insurmountable Count Ioannis Kapodistrias. With his patriotic action he had the double privilege to associate his name to both the Septinsular Republic and governance of our country when in 1827 he was chosen to be the first governor of Greece (1828-1831). He proclamed the establishment of the Greek State and dedicated his life only to it. The United States of the Ionian Islands (1815-1864), which succeeded the Septinsular Republic, as a Greek semi-autonomous state and protectorate of the United Kingdom played an important role in the emancipation of Greece.
The album at hand pays tribute to the greatness of the Greek Revolution of 1821, it takes this opportunity to highlight the beneficial contribution of the Ionian Islands in the national liberation work and its catalytic influence on the evolution and formation of modern Greek history.
Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou
Governor of the Region of Ionian Islands
The Greek Revolution of 1821 is the brightest moment of the unified long history of our nation. Based on its brilliant past, Greece regenerated from erebus of slavery of the Ottoman occupation, which lasted four centuries (1453-1821). The Ionian Islands, even when the Ottoman Empire extended to all the Balkans, and any progress ceased, not only arose firmly proudly as a beacon of the West in all aspects of culture, but guarded values, customs, manners, literature, culture, traditions and all the artistic expressions, as a guardian of greek culture.
For this reason, the celebration of 1821 gives the opportunity to the Corfu Heritage Foundation also to erect the “Obelisk of 1716”, which honours Corfiots, amongst the Europeans, who fought heroically against the Ottoman invasion then, but also in previous siege of Corfu by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1537. As much as the problems of religious intolerance, which we live in today and at the European level, will intensify, it is always useful to reach out to history in order to learn from these lessons. Mostly let us remember that freedom is the basis of Democracy, which led Greece and inspired both the American and the French Revolution, and as a European value it is our duty to defend it.
The main message of our events is that Greece certainly belongs to the West because Western civilization was born in Greece! The other big message for future generations is that the ultimate struggle for independence from each yoke is timely forever. Whichever man respects himself is called to be always ready to fight for freedom as a “hero of 1821”!
Count Spiro Flamburiari
President of the Corfu Heritage Foundation
