Events 2024

…Art made of August…

Giortes Rokkas dare to change, but what is more constant than perpetual change? Over ten years, Giortes Rokkas have made many steps: some smaller and cautious, others bold and adventurous. Each of these steps was celebrated and embraced by a multitude of people who followed the organisation, whether as contributors or visitors.

The goals and vision of the first decade have been achieved. Thousands of people visited our small villages, hundreds of artists filled the days and nights of the festivals with their art, numerous collaborations with other festivals and events, international partnerships, and most importantly, a significant artistic footprint in the region that sparks fermentations and changes the artistic landscape of Chania.

With a clear view and, above all, a clear vision for the next decade of the Giortes Rokkas, the events of the villages of Rokkas and Kera are changing their narrative, their duration, and the way they are celebrated. Closer to their core than ever, Giortes Rokkas are reintroducing themselves to the public in an action model that embraces the villages every year but without holding the same events each year. Thus, starting in 2024, Giortes Rokkas will annually organize the music concert at the archaeological site of Rokkas, and every other year, the festival will take on its full character with a plethora of workshops, parallel activities, concerts, and, of course, the theatrical action “KERA ONE STAGE.”

The concert at the archaeological site of Rokkas, where it all began, the core of the events around which Giortes Rokkas are scheduled each year, remains constant and is repeated annually, reminding the place of the wonderful blend of the traditional festival with the highest form of artistic expression. However, the festival character of the organization will take on a biennial frequency, thus enhancing the planning of its parallel activities, its international orientation, and the strengthening of its performance actions.

music

Archaeological Site

World and Cretan Music Under the August Full Moon Rokkas Festivals 2024

The VAMOS ORCHESTRA collaborates with the AIOLOS WOODWIND QUINTET and the Choral Ensemble CHÓRES. Soloists: Tasos Apostolou, Zacharias Karounis Production: Rokkas Cultural Association Co-production: Greek National Opera Start time: 21:00

2024 is a landmark year for the Rokkas Festivals, as they collaborate for the first time with the Greek National Opera, and together they plan and promise an unforgettable evening filled with world music under the light of the full moon on August 19th at the breathtaking Ancient Rokkas site.

This year’s event, titled “World and Cretan Music Under the Full Moon,” organized by the Rokkas and Keras Cultural Associations, features the Vamos Orchestra, the Aeolos Woodwind Quintet, and the Chores, with soloists Tasos Apostolou and Zacharias Karounis.

The musical program of the concert is curated by the Vamos Orchestra, with new arrangements of the pieces signed by the orchestra’s music director, Thanasis Papathanasiou. The selection of musical works, the new arrangements, and the choice of musical ensembles performing under the open sky of Ancient Rokkas were completed by the Vamos Orchestra with the personal assistance and advisory care of composer and Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera, Giorgos Koumendakis. The Chores vocal ensemble is directed by Christina Poupalou. Alexia Katsanevaki will also perform as a singer.

The evening will start with the first part dedicated to “MISA CRIOLLA” by Ramirez. This work, which combines traditional elements from Latin America with the structure of classical mass, will be presented by Zacharias Karounis and the CHÓRES.

The Misa Criolla (Creole Mass) by Ariel Ramirez is one of the first musical settings of the Roman Catholic Mass after the Second Vatican Council’s 1963 decision to allow the use of local languages instead of Latin in Catholic churches worldwide. The Argentine composer, a major figure in the global movement to combine folk and classical European music, used his deep knowledge of Andean traditional music to incorporate rhythms and instruments from Latin America into the Spanish text of the Mass. The result was one of the most popular hybrid works of the 20th century, which gained great popularity, especially after the successful 1964 recording.

In Greece, the Misa Criolla became known in 1989 through the interpretation of Stavros Xarhakos and George Dalaras. The 1990 recording with José Carreras as a soloist remains the most famous version of the work, contributing to its timeless popularity.

In the second part, the program includes traditional music from various corners of the world. With performances that will enchant the audience, the evening will travel from Corsica to the Roma tradition with “Ederlezi.” Alexia Katsanevaki will perform “Cancao do Mar” and “Una pastora,” and from Portugal to Catalonia, Italy, and Greece.

The third part will be dedicated to Crete, with a series of classic Cretan pieces that will transport the audience to the traditions and passions of Cretan music.

This evening promises to be a unique experience, bringing together music and cultures from around the world under the Cretan sky and the light of the full moon. The Rokkas Festivals 2024 will be a celebration of music, tradition, and the unity of peoples.

The event is free for the public.

Giortes Rokkas 2024

“World and Cretan Music Under the Full Moon”

The VAMOS ORCHESTRA collaborates with the AEOLOS WOODWIND QUINTET and the Choral Ensemble CHÓRES.

Soloists: Tasos Apostolou, Zacharias Karounis

AEOLOS WOODWIND QUINTET:

  • Vangelis Stathoulopoulos – flute
  • Yiannis Tselikas – oboe
  • Angelos Politis – clarinet
  • Christos Salvano – horn
  • Giorgos Farougias – bassoon

Direction of Choral Ensemble CHÓRES: Christina Poupalou

Music Direction of Vamos Orchestra & Orchestration: Thanasis Papathanasiou

Alexia Katsanevaki also participates as a singer.

Literary editing of texts to be heard: Roula Bouraki

Curator of the musical program: Vamos Orchestra

Production: Rokkas Cultural Association “The Ancient Rokka”

Co-production: Greek National Opera

Instructions

Rokka and Kera villages are located in the northwest of the Prefecture of Chania, in the Municipality of Kissamos, 12 km from Kissamos, 39 km from Chania and 55 km from Chania airport. Following the E65 National Road from Chania to Kissamos, and turning to the Nopigia to Kera – Rokka hub, you will not have difficulty finding us.

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