AEF2025: Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 4 and Songs on the Death of Children (Kindertotenlieder)

The Athens Epidaurus Festival is celebrating its 70th anniversary and has begun rolling out its special anniversary programme. The first announcements cover the second leg of the festival, the performances at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, also known as Epidavria.

Caravans of Athenians embark on this cultural rite of passage, travelling on summer weekends to experience a performance at this historic amphitheatre, which seats almost 14,000 people. Plan ahead, and you could be among them.

Once seated, you’ll feel the anticipation of thousands around you. As the sun sets behind the orchestra—the circular stage—the chatter fades, leaving only the hum of cicadas and the distant calls of nightbirds. Then, a hush falls. Sometimes, you might even hear the actors' footsteps as they approach, just as they did 2,600 years ago.

This year’s Epidavria continues this tradition with eight performances, seven of which are world premieres. You can check out what’s been announced so far by clicking here.

As part of the Contemporary Ancients series, the Festival will showcase innovative and modern interpretations of ancient tragedies, performed at the Little Theatre of Epidaurus, offering a fresh perspective on timeless works. Read more about this here.

Open to visitors throughout the festival, the exhibition Antigone: Law and Disobedience traces the play’s evolution over 70 years at Epidaurus, featuring rare items from the Festival’s archive, along with photographs, costumes, models, and audiovisual material from Greece and abroad.

In a rare event, the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus is transformed by the power of classical music as Teodor Currentzis, the multi-award-winning Greek conductor, leads Utopia in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4—one of the composer’s most revered works.

Utopia, a festival ensemble of world-class musicians from across the globe, comes together under the visionary direction of Currentzis, promising an unforgettable experience in the grand amphitheatre.

The evening also features Swiss soprano Regula Mühlemann and mezzo-soprano Eve-Maud Hubeaux, performing Mahler’s poignant Kindertotenlieder in the second half of the programme.