The Art of Music is, by its very nature, an endless "study" of composing contrasts and conflicts: sound is born from silence and "dies" in it, harmonic relaxation follows tension, dissonant intervals seek their resolution in consonance, the loud contrasts with the soft, the different timbres of instruments create a diverse and constantly changing soundscape. In this light, great composers had highly effective artistic tools to express through their works the devastation and tragedy of war conflict as well as the blessing of peace, harmonious coexistence, and social happiness.

Under this musical prism and on the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War II, the Chania Chamber Music Festival 2025 unfolds a thematic thread that connects significant works written just before, just after, or during the War—works written to celebrate triumphs, mourn defeats, reflect on the crushing nature of death, and contemplate the value of life. Prokofiev's Sixth Piano Sonata, Shostakovich's Eighth Quartet, Weinberg's Quintet, and Strauss's Metamorphosen are, each in their own unique way, musical monuments to the countless victims of the Nazi scourge that swept through Europe—this Europe of humanism, democracy, and cultural flourishing, expressions of which are, on one hand, magnificent classical works like Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos or Beethoven's Clarinet Trio, and on the other hand, groundbreaking masterpieces like Janáček's Concertino or Bartók's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion (in the 20th century).

At the same time, the Festival pays tribute to the centenary of the birth of our great composer Mikis Theodorakis by presenting one of his most groundbreaking and pyrotechnic works, the Fourth String Quartet. Additionally, it welcomes for the first time the world-renowned piano virtuoso, Denis Kozhukhin. The award-winning Russian soloist will perform the epic work of the American composer Frederic Rzewski, "The People United Will Never Be Defeated," a series of 36 variations on the eponymous song from Chile, a poignant anthem of the ongoing struggle against authoritarianism and one of the most interesting piano works of our time. Finally, this year's Festival is honored by the presence of the tireless historian Maria Efthymiou, who, with her distinctive eloquence that characterizes her authoritative speech, will set the broader political and social context of the works to be presented.