Axion Esti

Axion Esti (1960) – based on the poetic composition of the same name by the Nobel Prize-winning poet Odysseus Elytis – is presented through the timbral palette of 6 pianos and the sonic homogeneity of the interpretation of 12 pianists from the Piandaemonium Ensemble on 30 and 31 July 2025 at the Hellenistic Theatre of Dion.

The iconic work, set to music by Mikis Theodorakis, constitutes a hybrid sound, combining a symphony orchestra and choir on the one hand, with a cantor and narrator on the other, at a crossroads where spoken music meets tradition. The deep discussion of the expressive loads of heterogeneous musical traditions is carried out on the canvas of Elytis’ high poetry, aiming to express a modern and multidimensional Greekness, and aspiring to communicate its collective message directly to a large audience. This distinctive sound acquires new life through the original conception and performance of the unique Piandaemonium Ensemble, which, with its twenty-five years of experience, attempts a modern sonic reapproach to a work that still carries the symbols of a culture that is constantly renewed.