SUBSET FESTIVAL 2025 - DAY 5

20:00 - AMPHITHEATRE Heinali & Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko - Гільдеґарда / Hildegard [COMMISSION] Recording under the moniker Heinali, Ukrainian composer and sound artist Oleh Shpudeiko uses the modular synthesizer to reimagine early music and sounds, reconciling the past with the present and cutting-edge technology with the notion of the sacred. For this special premiere performance, Shpudeiko will team up with composer, flautist, and singer Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko to bring the music of 12th-century abbess, philosopher, and mystic Hildegard von Bingen into a contemporary context. Marrying Ukrainian folk singing and singular modular synthesis techniques, Гільдеґарда amplifies the paradoxical physicality of Hildegard's writings, using them as a mirror for contemporary events and a basis to reflect and process the experiences of wartime. Born in Lyiv and initially trained as a flautist, Saienko has spent the last five years honing her voice as an instrument. She's collaborated with actress and researcher Uliana Horbachevska on projects such as Ukraine – Terra Incognita, the Horbachevska septet, and Kolo Rayu. In addition to her solo work, Saienko has worked alongside her pianist brother Danylo. Saienko transcends genres by fusing Ukrainian singing with jazz, electronic music, and free improvisation, while she treats folk songs as living, pulsating material. Shpudeiko has penned music for various games, films, installations, and performances. His 2020 solo album Madrigals was shortlisted for the Shevchenko National Prize. Гільдеґарда is commissioned by Unsound, CTM Festival, Athens Epidaurus Festival / Subset, and GMEA - Centre National de Création Musicale Albi-Tarn. Nikos Antonopoulos - Blue Thread Free improvisation, ambient drones, songs from island traditions, autotune, silences, fuzz, lo-fi beats, and all sorts of electronic sound devices are some of the elements that make up Blue Thread, the new performance by Nikos Antonopoulos. At its core, the project explores the delicate balance between the retreating analogue world and the emerging digital reality. Blue Thread serves as a thin yet resilient joint that bridges these two states, illuminating a new, hybrid space that salutes play and experimentation. The work is a constantly changing creative landscape, reflecting Nikos Antonopoulos’ artistic research over the past two years. Each presentation is unique, defined by the musical paths he explores each time. The guitar, free improvisation, and the imaginative and contemporary ways in which the composer reactivates tradition are key elements of his ongoing exploration. After a set of winter performances in Greece and abroad, the thread returns to Athens for a specially configured concert-performance at the Subset Festival, featuring a new mosaic of narratives, original compositions, and a selection of pieces drawn from the ever-evolving music of the world. GENERAL ADMISSION €12 STUDENTS/ 65+/ ARTISTS’ UNIONS/ MULTI-CHILD FAMILIES/ FESTIVAL FRIEND €9,60 PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES/ UNEMPLOYED/ ART STUDENTS €5 - 22:30 - NEW STAGE Savvas Metaxas / Giannis Arapis / Dimitris Tigas - Circular Three musicians from diverse musical backgrounds unite to create Circular, an original composition crafted especially for this year's Subset festival. This unique trio—featuring two electric guitars, a double bass and a modular synthesizer—merges different musical genres and traditions. On-stage, Savvas Metaxas (electric guitar, modular synthesizer), Giannis Arapis (electric guitar) and Dimitris Tigas (double bass) bring together distinct elements, influences, and methodological approaches from seemingly foreign yet intrinsically connected forms of musical expression. The ensemble’s original composition highlights its rich musical background and influences, ranging from jazz to experimental ambient and modern classical music. Circular monitors the dialogue between the precision of modern classical music, the improvisational freedom of jazz, the immersive soundscapes of experimental ambient, and musique concrète. Through the use of electric guitars, double bass and modular synthesizer, the trio will blur the boundaries of acoustic and electronic sounds, creating a fluid sonic mosaic that shifts effortlessly between structured forms and modern composition. It is designed and addressed to avid listeners and music enthusiasts with an interest in contemporary fusion, experimental music, and the intersection of jazz and classical traditions. GENERAL ADMISSION €8 STUDENTS/ 65+/ ARTISTS’ UNIONS/ MULTI-CHILD FAMILIES/ FESTIVAL FRIEND €6,60 PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES/ UNEMPLOYED/ ART STUDENTS €5