Debussy, A. Mahler, Haydn, and Heggie in Athens

On April 8, Joyce DiDonato returns to Athens’ Megaron, following her captivating appearance in 2023. This time, Joyce and pianist Craig Terry will present a program that explores the experience of love, seen through the eyes of a woman. 

The program features Debussy’s steamy Les chansons de Bilitis, which sets the poetry of Pierre Louÿs, as well as Alma Mahler’s lyrical Fünf Lieder and Haydn’s dramatic cantata, Arianna a Naxos, inspired by the myth of Ariadne’s abandonment by Theseus on Naxos. The program closes with Camille Claudel: Into the Fire, which was composed for Joyce by Jake Heggie, with a libretto by Gene Scheer. A recording of a live performance of the work, accompanied by the Brentano Quartet, at London’s Wigmore Hall was released in 2018. Of the recording, the Financial Times said, “DiDonato brings Camille Claudel to life with star quality.”