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2Oth-Century
Greek Masters is the first of a
series of concerts presented by the Foundation for Hellenic
Culture during the season 2001-02 in New York aiming towards
a more complete presentation of Greek classical music in the
20th century. The ALEA III concert on October 8, at 8:00pm,
under the direction of Theodore Antoniou, will feature the
most prominent Greek composers of the 20th century: Nikos
Skalkottas, Iannis Xenakis and Jani Christou.
The
Composers
Nikos Skalkottas, born in 1904, was an acclaimed student
of Arnold Schönberg one of the most important composers
of the 20th century. In his music, Skalkottas combines the
European trends of his time with Greek folk elements. The
Suite for Piano is a succession of dances. The Variations
on a Folk Theme is scored for piano, violin and cello.
The Concertino for Trumpet and Piano is considered
among the most difficult and highly virtuosic pieces ever
written for the trumpet. His music reflects the anxiety of
the period before World War II. Skalkottas died in Athens
in 1949 at the age of 44.
Iannis Xenakis is internationally recognized as one
of the most important composers of the 20th century. As a
composer, Xenakis used in his music mathematics and architectural
shapes with the help of computers. He was also a well known
mathematician and an architect and collaborator of Le Corbusier.
Xenakis characterizes his own music as stochastic. Rebonds,
for solo percussion, was once referred to as an immense abstract
ritual, a suite of movements and of hammerings—pure music.
Psappha is the archaic version of the name of Sappho,
the female poet of antiquity. It is scored for solo percussion.
In this work, Xenakis transfers Sappho's rhythmic innovations
of her verses in his music.
Jani Christou was born in Cairo in 1926 and died in
Athens in 1970 in a car accident. He studied music in England
and Italy. Even though his work is not as well known abroad
as the work of the other two composers, Christou's music has
been very imaginative and influential in Greece. The T.
S. Eliot Songs were written for mezzo-soprano and piano
in 1955. In Anaparastasis III, he combined elements
of ancient Greek drama, modem theater and music. Sometimes
the composer uses the musicians as actors as in Anaparastasis
III: The Pianist, which is scored for an actor, music
ensemble and tape.
Alea III Chamber Orchestra
The Greek word alea, taken from Homer, means “to wander.”
In Latin, it refers to “a die or dice” used for
playing at games of principles of indeterminacy as evidenced
by certain random procedures of composition. In regard to
the ensemble, aleatoric is concerned with the expression of
a multiplicity of musical directions, historical styles and
performance practices. ALEA III is a contemporary music ensemble
in residence at Boston University devoted to promoting, playing,
and teaching music of the 20th century. Founded in 1978, ALEA
III is the third such group organized by Music Director Theodore
Antoniou. Frequent international touring has enhanced the
relationships of American performers with their colleagues
and composers from other parts of the world.
Theodore Antoniou, an eminent and prolific contemporary
artist, leads a distinguished career as a composer, conductor,
and professor of composition at Boston University. As a conductor,
Professor Antoniou has been engaged by several major orchestras
and ensembles. An ardent proponent of new music, Professor
Antoniou has founded various contemporary music ensembles,
including ALEA II at Stanford University; ALEA III, in residence
at Boston University; the Philadelphia New Music Group; and
the Hellenic Group of Contemporary Music. Many of Professor
Antoniou's compositions were commissioned by major orchestras
around the world, and more than a hundred and fifty of his
works have been published. He has received many awards and
prizes, including the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
grants and the Richard Strauss Prize. In 1997, he received
the Music Award from the Greek Academy of Arts and Letters,
one of the most prestigious awards and the highest academic
distinction in music in Greece.
Maria Karagevreki, La Vita has received degrees in
song, harmony, and counterpoint from the National Conservatory
of Athens. As a member of the Greek National Opera, she had
the role of Lola in Mascagni's opera Cavaleria Rusticana.
She also had the role of the nurse in Theodorakis's opera
Medea at the Odeum of Herodus Atticus. Currently, she
studies with Maria Farworth and repertory with Joan Dornemann
from the Metropolitan Opera of New York. She appeared in recitals
in Cremona and Ameno in Italy. Last June she was a soloist
at the Oratorio of J. Berkey Come Follow Me at Carnegie
Hall.
Joseph Damian Foley is a native of Concord, New Hampshire.
He received his Bachelor and Master degrees from Boston University,
which he attended as a Trustee Scholar. He studied there with
Roger Volsin, Rolf Smedvig, and Peter Chapman, and twice received
the Outstanding Brass Player award. Mr. Foley has also performed
with the Boston Symphony, the Opera Company of Boston, and
toured Greece as a member of ALEA III. He has performed and
recorded with the Empire Brass, and has also appeared as soloist
with several orchestras. Mr. Foley currently serves as Principal
Trumpet of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and is on the faculty
of Boston University.
Nelli Semitekolo was born in Athens, Greece. She studied
piano with Krinio Kalomiris at the National Conservatory in
Athens and continued her training at the Munich Academy of
Music. She was a prize winner at the Orence International
Competition (Spain) and also at the Bach Music Competition
(USA). She has appeared in recitals and chamber music concerts
all over Europe. A big part of her time and energy is given
over to the performance of Jani Christou's works.
Konstantinos Papadakis was born in Crete in 1972. He
started his music studies at a very early age. He has received
prizes and awards since he was 10 years old. He graduated
from the Athens Conservatory of Music with honors and received
the Golden Medal as an outstanding pianist. He continued his
studies with Martino Tirimo, Nicolai Petrov and Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Papadakis has appeared in the greatest concert halls of Europe,
Russia, USA and Canada with important artists, musical ensembles
and orchestras. In May 2000, he received the Esther and Albert
Kahn Career Entry Award. He is currently an associate professor
of piano at Boston University.
Dimitris Dessyllas, born in Corfu, Greece, graduated
with honors with a degree in Percussion from the Athens Conservatory
of Music. He continued his studies with scholarships in New
York and later in Berlin. Since 1993, he has been a member
of the Orchestra of Colors and the Camerata Orchestra, Megaron
of Music, Athens. He has played with all major Greek orchestras,
the English Chamber Choir and the Symphonic Orchestra of New
York State University. He also received the annual award by
the Union of Music and Theatre Critics in Greece for the year
1999-2000.
Grigoris Semitekolo is a painter and actor with studies
in Munich, Germany. He has had many exhibitions in Greece
and abroad. His main interest is music theatre and happenings.
He worked with composer Jani Christou for the Anaparastasis
III, a composition written for him. He also worked with
Christou for the trilogy of Orestia, which was never completed
due to the early death of the composer.
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