The Three Lears - Pythia Trio

King Lear's three daughters meet again and reflect on their father's story, power games, truth and lies and what that entails. The three different characters try to approach the characteristics of a "proper" leader, the ethos required, the trap of arrogance and the dangers of the thirst for power and imposition. Characteristics that can undermine even fraternal relationships and act as a catalytic factor to redefine the balance of a wider group.

The "Pythia" trio, faithful to its path so far, is inspired once again by a project in the context of musical theater in which the piano and expanded techniques are the protagonists - as they are found in the modern ergography and the wider repertoire of the instrument in the 20th and 21st century - through works originally written for the three pianists. Elements such as speech, song, theatrical presence through role-playing, the use of pre-recorded material and various other sound sources are now characteristic tools of the presentation of each project of the trio. Myrto Akrivou, Iro Menegou and Thalia Papadopoulou from Greece present the contemporary concert entitled “The Three Lears” at Technopolis 20, on Friday, 1st of December 2023, at 8pm.

The overriding intention is to create a narrative that, as a whole, will bear characteristics of the comic opera (opera buffa) which always contained a lot of caricatures - the characters showed human weaknesses such as stupidity, vanity, greed and sophistication (people who pretended to be wise and important). They also often satirized the ruling classes or authority figures in society at large.

The leading role of female figures in Shakespeare's work was the occasion to call for young female composers with a well-known presence in the world of contemporary music creation. Thus, based on Diana Rotaru's work “The three Lears”, the composers are invited to be inspired by the musical language and elements of the original work, which will contribute to the overall narrative of a small hilarious tragedy.

Thus, in this specific musical theater performance, the goal is for all the tragic characteristics of human existence and vanity, as well as the dynamics of power relations to be redefined and interpreted through the prism of humor and female sensitivity and empathy.

Entrance: 12 euro

Reservations are necessary at 70002420.

The music tour is implemented under the auspices and financial support of the Ministry of Culture of Greece

Performers: Pythia Trio/ Myrto Akrivou, Iro Menegou, Thalia Papadopoulou

Compositions by: Anthi Damvouneli, Myrto Nizami, Eleni Ralli, Diana Rotaru, Foteini Tryferopoulou

Supervising Director: Giorgina Daliani

Poster by: Kostis Triantafyllou/ thirtyleaf design 

Production: Artivistas 

Pythia Trio (Myrto Akrivou, Iro Menegou and Thalia Papadopoulou) has a growing reputation within the contemporary music world of Greece. The team of three pianists has taken up the mission of introducing works of both young and established cutting-edge Greek and foreign composers to the performance venues, presenting and promoting the contemporary piano repertoire. The ensemble’s vision goes beyond sound, exploring space, light, movement and narratives, anything that allows for performed music to become a multidimensional creation, blurring lines between genres and art fields.

Pythia Trio was initially formed as a spillover of Lorenda Ramou's workshop "The piano in the 20th & 21st century", held at the Athens’ Conservatory. The three pianists started working together musically in 2020, after participating in the Énumérations workshop by Giorgos Apergis, under the guidance of composer Nicolas Tzortzis (Stegi Onassis, and Athens Conservatory).  In 2021, Pythia Trio presented their project "The Oath of Hippocrates" in Athens, Thessaloniki and Kalamata, commissioning seven young composers to write original music for the trio, under the support of the Greek Ministry of Culture. In 2022, Pythia Trio presented the project, “TANANTIA TOUTEOON” in Cyprus, Romania, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands and France, with all performances being under the auspices and financial support of the Ministry of Culture.