ALPHA MISSION - DELOS & The [Uncertain] Four Seasons

The Youth of Europe Unite through Music for Life on our Planet

On 30 May 2022, the Greek island of Delos -the cosmopolitan centre of the Mediterranean in antiquity, now a museum, came to life again.

For the first time in its thousands of years of history, Delos hosted an orchestra for a concert of international scope and great symbolic value.

The European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) together with Ukrainian & Russian musicians and soloists, Ukrainian rising star Diana Tishchenko (violin) and Greek virtuoso Sokratis Sinopoulos (lyra) performed Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, improvised episodes for Lyra, Carmen Fizzarotti’s Floating Autumn from “The [uncertain] Four Seasons” and Marshall Marcus’ 17 Strokes of the Bell for Peace and Sustainability.  

This programme has been specially created to underscore the uncertainty about the future of the planet if we do not act urgently.

The concert was live-streamed on ARTE as well as projected onto big screens in various cities around the world. The concert is now available on arte.tv until the end of February 2023.

The event marks the inauguration of ALPHA MISSION -ΔELOS, an initiative that aims, through the combined strengths of Mythology, Art and Space Technology, to raise awareness globally about the urgent need for the regeneration of our planet. It marks the 30th anniversary of ARTE, the important European cultural channel, symbol of Franco-German friendship, and also forms part of the EUYO’s Peace in Europe project 2022 of seven peace concerts across Europe.   

About the music and artists

Carmen Fizzarotti’s Floating Autumn from  The [uncertain] Four Seasons, is an algorithmic re-composition of Vivaldi’s ‘Autumn’. Developed by composers, musicians, climate and computer scientists using geospatial climate predictions for 2050, it depicts what a future world might feel like if we do not reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. The [Uncertain] Four Seasons is an initiative of AKQA and Jung von Matt, composer Hugh Crosthwaite, Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Monash Climate Change Communications Research Hub.

The solo violinist Diana Tishchenko, of Ukranian origin, is amongst the most exciting young artists of recent years and has won several international competitions for her musicality and technical mastery, and possesses a musical imagination far beyond her years. She has been a guest on major international concert stages.

Greek musician Sokratis Sinopoulos is a contemporary master of the lyra, a bowed instrument that dates back to ancient times. His playing is delicate and nuanced yet highly expressive, and his proficiency on the instrument has been widely acclaimed. Sinopoulos has collaborated with numerous musicians throughout the world. He is equally comfortable crossing genre boundaries into jazz and classical, as he is to staying true to folk traditions of Greece and Eastern Mediterranean.

The European Union Youth Orchestra, cultural ambassador for the European Union, represents the European ideal of a community working together to achieve peace and social understanding. Founded in 1976 by Lionel and Joy Bryer following a unanimous vote of the European Parliament, with an artist – Claudio Abbado – as its Founding Music Director, it brings together the most talented young musicians from all EU member states united by a shared sense of European heritage, innovation, sustainability, and the constant pursuit of excellence. Together with the Russian and Ukrainian musicians it represents the voice of the youth of Europe. The EUYO's Honorary President is the President of the European Parliament and its Honorary Patrons are the Heads of State and Prime Ministers of each of the EU member states, headed by the President of the European Commission.

About Delos

Delos is the island where, according to the myth, the twin gods Apollo and Artemis were born, and where light was born. For many centuries in antiquity, Delos was the cosmopolitan centre of the Mediterranean. Today, the whole island is an open museum and the ancient ruins on it are already affected by the climate crisis and rising sea level. Parallel to our quest to explore space and possibly other planets, Delos - and the events connected to it- will be emblematic reminders that wings also need roots and that the healing of our planet should be a priority. NASA’s forthcoming Artemis Mission, following the Apollo Mission, gives us the unique opportunity to understand that Humanity will not succeed in addressing the challenges we are faced with, unless we combine the wisdom of the past with the knowledge and possibilities of today, humanities with science, mythology, art and spirituality with space and technology.

The ALPHA MISSION -ΔELOS concert is a co-production of the World Human Forum & ARTE in partnership with Europa Nostra, the Hellenic Space Center, the National Research Center for Natural Sciences “Demokritos", the Hellenic Foundation for Culture, Megaron - the Athens Concert Hall - and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Cyclades. The EUYO is artistic partner of the event.

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