Κείμενο υποδοχής

If I had to choose between music, dance or photography, I would choose all three, for I am enchanted with music, thrilled by dance and redeemed by photography!
Αν έπρεπε να διαλέξω ανάμεσα στη μουσική, το χορό και τη φωτογραφία, θα επέλεγα και τις τρεις τέχνες. Η μουσική με μαγεύει, ο χορός με ενθουσιάζει και η φωτογραφία με λυτρώνει!...

Τετάρτη 29 Αυγούστου 2012

Α New Mozart?

Is This Child a New Mozart?


Mozart was a musical genius at a level the world had never seen before. When he was 5, he was already touring Europe with his father, appearing before kings and queens and amazing them with his musical prowess.



Now, almost 250 years later, this child shows the same promise, when at 4 years old he can already play at such a level as to arouse envy from many an adult 10 times his age! What will the future hold for such young talent, we don't know. But we imagine it must be a very bright one!



Δεν υπάρχει καμιά πληροφορία στο διαδίκτυο, ποιος είναι ο τεράχρονος ταλαντούχος πιανίστας. Ούτε το όνομά του αναφέρεται πουθενά. 

Σάββατο 18 Αυγούστου 2012

Katerina Miná / Κατερίνα Μηνά

Katerina Miná (soprano) is making a name for herself as one of the finest sopranos of her generation. Originally a pianist and a music teacher, Katerina completed her BMus (Hons) Degree and Postgraduate Diploma in Music Performance (Opera) at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Her opera studies were sponsored by the Corporation of London, the A.G. Leventis Foundation, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. The Greek Cypriot soprano is a prize winner in two International singing competitions, the ‘1st Concorso Vocale Internazionale di Musica Sacra’ and the ‘7th Julian Gayarre International Singing Competition’, as well as the winner of the 2008 Madame Figaro Magazine Singer-of-the-Year Awards. Katerina is based in London and continues her vocal studies with Janice Chapman.
Katerina most recently sang Rossini’s Stabat Mater with conductor Lukas Karytinos, the roles of Violetta La Traviata in Kuwait and Donna Elvira Don Giovanni in Bahrain, and appeared at Megaron in Athens with international pianist Elena Mouzalas in a series of concerts to celebrate Schumann’s and Chopin’s birthday anniversaries. With the Kolobov Novaya Opera of Moscow she performed the role of Nedda I Pagliacci. Katerina performed the role of Elle from Poulenc’s opera La Voix Humaine within the Kypria International Music Festival, and appeared as Fiordiligi Cosi Fan Tutte on a tour in the Far-East and Middle-East with European Chamber Opera. Other operatic roles include Donna Elvira Don Giovanni with Staatstheater Cottbus, Mimi La Bohème with British Youth Opera and European Chamber Opera, Karolka Jenufa with English Touring Opera and Maria West Side Story with Oxford Philomusica.

Concert performances include Verdi’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Choral Symphony no.9 at St. John’s Smith Square in London, Michael Tippett’s Negro Spirituals and David Fanshawe’s African Sanctus in Bahrain and Thame, Pitta’s symphonic piece 1973 with the National Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of ERT, Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Stanley Hall Opera, Haydn’s Scena di Berenice with the Georgisches Kammerorchester in Ingolstadt, A. Charalambou’s Requiem for Heroes with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra; world premières of C. Stylianou’s song cycles Of the Beautiful Kingdom for voice and piano, A. Sakali’s oratorio Liturgy beneath the Acropolis with Oxford Philomusica, the orchestral songs of Henry Duparc, oratorios of Mikis Theodorakis, and symphonic songs by composer M. Christodoulides with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra.
Read more HERE


Κατερίνα Μηνά (σοπράνο)
Με έδρα το Λονδίνο, η κυπριακής καταγωγής υψίφωνος διαπρέπει εδώ και χρόνια στο εξωτερικό. Απόφοιτος της Guildhall School of Music and Drama και άξια καλλιτεχνική πρέσβης της πατρίδας της σε όλο τον κόσμο, η Κατερίνα Μηνά έχει βραβευθεί στους διεθνείς διαγωνισμούς Εκκλησιαστικής Μουσικής (Ιταλία) και «Julian Gayarre» (Ισπανία), ενώ το 2008 της απενεμήθη το βραβείο της «Τραγουδίστριας της χρονιάς» από το γνωστό γαλλικό περιοδικό Madame Figaro. Το ρεπερτόριό της περιλαμβάνει, μεταξύ άλλων, τους ρόλους της Βιολέτας από την «Τραβιάτα» του Βέρντι, της Φιορντιλίτζι από την όπερα «Έτσι κάνουν όλες» του Μότσαρτ και της Μιμί από τους «Μποέμ» του Πουτσίνι, χαρακτήρες που ερμήνευσε πρόσφατα σε γνωστά λυρικά θέατρα του εξωτερικού, όπως άλλωστε και αυτόν της Γυναίκας στη μονόπρακτη «Ανθρώπινη φωνή» του Πουλένκ. Ως κοντσερτίστα, η Κύπρια σοπράνο έχει συμμετάσχει σε παρουσιάσεις έργων εκκλησιαστικής και συμφωνικής μουσικής, αλλά και σύγχρονων συνθετών, εντός και εκτός κυπριακών συνόρων. Έχει εμφανιστεί στη Βρετανία, τη Γερμανία, τη Φιλανδία, τη Γαλλία, την Ιαπωνία, την Ταϊλάνδη, τα Ηνωμένα Αραβικά Εμιράτα και έχει λάβει μέρος σε γνωστά φεστιβάλ (Roman River Festival της Βρετανίας, «Κύπρια», «Μανώλης Καλομοίρης», κ.ά.).
Επίσης η Κατερίνα Μηνά εκπροσώπησε την πατρίδα της στους επίσημους εορτασμούς για την ένταξη της Κύπρου στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση και την Ευρωζώνη παρουσιάζοντας τα έργα του Χρήστου Πίττα «Ελένη» και «Ρίμες Αγάπης». Έχει πραγματοποιήσει ηχογραφήσεις για το Ραδιοφωνικό Ίδρυμα Κύπρου και την Ε.Ρ.Τ. Συνεχίζει τις σπουδές της στο Λονδίνο με τη σοπράνο Τζάνις Τσάπμαν, ενώ επιλέχθηκε από την Βρετανική Όπερα Νέων να συμμετάσχει σε σεμινάριο τελειοποίησης με τον τενόρο, μαέστρο και συνθέτη Χοσέ Κούρα. Η Κατερίνα Μηνά συνεργάζεται συχνά με την Έλενα Μουζάλα, με την οποία έχουν δώσει συναυλίες από κοινού στο Παρίσι και το Μόναχο.

Discography
 Chopin & Schumann - Hymn for Cyprus - Peace Comes as a Dream
Read more HERE












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Grimeborn Opera Festival is opening very soon! I'd love to see you in the Festival's Triple Bill on 31 August and 1 September , where I will perform Poulenc's opera 'La Voix Humaine'. Have a look at this press clipping I just received from Camden New Journal!!!




A photo from the opening of the Greek operetta “Vaftistikos”







 

Κυριακή 12 Αυγούστου 2012

Vítězslav Novák

Vítězslav Novák
Born: December 5, 1870 in Kamenice nad Lipou, Southern Bohemia
Died: July 18, 1949 in Skutec, Czech Republic

Biography 
by Zoran Minderovic
An eminent Czech composer, Vitezslav Novák is known for his evocative music in which innovative harmonies and memorable tone colors are used to express a wide range of emotions, including inner turmoil, diffuse melancholy, and nostalgia, as well as a mystical recognition of the awesome power of nature. Like many of his compatriots, Novák incorporated elements of Czech folk music into his work; however, the folk motifs are highly stylized, constituting a significant but not dominant strand in the rich texture of his music.
Novák's musical talent was discovered early by a sympathetic teacher who developed the youth's skills in piano and composition. In 1889, Novák obtained a scholarship to study law at Charles University in Prague, and he also enrolled at the Prague Conservatory. At the Conservatory, Novák studied piano with Josef Jiránek, counterpoint with Karel Stecker, and harmony with Karel Knittl. Of all of his teachers. Knittl was the least sympathetic; in fact, Knittl was so perturbed by Novák's inventive approach to harmony that he savagely criticized his student, effectively undermining his self-confidence as a composer. Fortunately, Stecker showed more intelligence and actually recommended Novák for Dvorák's master class in 1891. Novák and Dvorák may have disagreed about compositional technique, but Dvorák was known for his respect for every student's artistic individuality. Novák's early work was composed in the Romantic idiom, and he attracted the attention of Brahms, who recommended the young Czech composer to his publisher, Simrock. In 1896, during a visit to northern and eastern Moravia, Novák discovered the region's unusual and somewhat exotic folk music; while folk music never influenced Novák's work directly, this encounter prompted him to expand his musical language and transcend the idiom of Romanticism. The effect is evident in his remarkable Quintet for piano & strings, composed in 1896, in which Novák successfully blends elements of his early style with a natural melodic spontaneity inspired by folk music. In his popular symphonic poems, V Tatràch (In the Tatra Mountains), composed in 1902, and the Slovak Suite, written the following year, Novák created powerful musical representations of natural beauty. In fact, In the Tatra Mountains, which captures the many facets of the majestic landscape of the Tatras, has been favorably compared to the Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss. Detailed in its description of the many splendors of nature, Novák's music also develops a few fundamental, archetypal images, such as the moonlit night and water. A quiet pond in the South Bohemian Suite, a mountain stream in the monumental tone poem for piano, Pan (1910), water becomes an overwhelming and boundless force in the Storm, a dramatic cantata also completed in 1910. Having succeeded Dvorák as professor of composition at the Prague Conservatory in 1908, Novák dedicated his energies to teaching. In 1919, when his popularity as a composer seemed to be waning, he started a master class at the Conservatory, attracting many promising composers, including Alois Hába. While Novák's works composed in the 1920s, including operas and ballets, were regarded as less-successful than his earlier compositions, the symphonic works written toward the end of his life are mature, thoughtful creations. These compositions include the South Bohemian Suite (1937), De Profundis (1941), and May Symphony (1943). The two last works expressed the composer's thoughts about the destiny of his country in the midst of World War II. As scholars have noted, while Novák's style is fundamentally melodic, he is also a master of harmonic development and contrapuntal construction. His compositional skill is exemplified by his extraordinary ability to create a towering structure, such as Pan, on the basis of a brief motif.
Source: AllMusic

 

Vítězslav Novák Wikipedia

Δευτέρα 6 Αυγούστου 2012

Shahrdad Rohani / شهرداد روحانی


Shahrdad Rohani(Persian: شهرداد روحانی) is an Iranian composer, violinist/pianist, and conductor.
His style is contemporary and he is well known for composing and conducting classical, film as well as pop music. One of such projects was arranging and conducting the Yanni Live at the Acropolis concert, an open-air concert with the London Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra in the Parthenon, Athens, Greece. This concert was acclaimed by both critics and audience and became the most widely viewed program ever shown on Public Television in United States and is the second best-selling music video of all time. 
Being educated since childhood at very prestigious schools has made him into a grand maestro, winning awards in various countries and composing in varied styles. He studied at the Academy and Conservatories of Music in Vienna, Austria, and received several important scholarships and awards both in Europe and United States. These include the A.K.M Scholarship, Vienna, Austria, and the ASCAP Scholarship, Los Angeles, California.
Mr. Rohani is the music director and conductor of the COTA symphony orchestra in Los Angeles. He has appeared as a guest conductor with a number of prestigious orchestras including London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Zagreb Philharmonic, the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras and many others.
In December 1998 Mr. Rohani was commissioned by the government of Thailand and the committee of the 13th Asian Olympic Games to compose and conduct the music for opening ceremonies. The composition became the most popular song of the Asian Games.
Mr. Rohani has recorded several classical CDs with the Slovak Radio Symphony orchestra for Discover/Koch International including the Tchaikovsky Ballet music which received raging reviews by the media including the Intune Magazine in Japan.
In 1999 Mr. Rohani received the Thailand's Pikanes award, the country's most prestigious music award for an outstanding orchestral performance. The award is considered the highest artistic achievement.
Mr. Rohani is especially well known to the world for conducting film music.
Shahrdad Rohani's Official Website: Click HERE

Shahrdad Rohani in Yanni Live at the Acropolis concert



Yanni Live at the Acropolis 1994 Full

Panormos-Skopelos-Greece


1276…Knight Licario, commander of the Byzantine flee, takes over  Skopelos and drives out the Venetians. A long time of pirate raids begins for the island. The pirates use it for their anchor point since it is in the perfect place for raids.
Ships sailing from the port of Thessaloniki and headed south would pass either from the passage of Skopelos and Alonisos or east between Skiathos and Skopelos.

Panormos (see picture above) and Blo were places ideal to protect the sailors from the wind. This is where the pirates anchored their ships. Among them was the one and only pirate woman ever: Andrina, the terror of the northern Aegean sea.
The story that follows is true and it is kept alive by telling, until today. It speaks about the tragic end of the only female pirate that sailed the Greek seas.
Andrina and her companion had just stolen an Venetian ship full of gold. So they sailed to Blo and got ready to celebrate, as they usually did after a good raid. The pirates went to Skopelos to bring food and wine. Andrina stayed in the port alone to guard the ship and no local would go near there. The pirates made their way up to Mourtero, got past Alikia and the river and finally arrived to the little church of Holy Mary the fighter. It is a small church saved until today, built on the hill of Pefkia. The locals had a feast and at the time were dancing there. The pirates joined the dance and started singing a strange song. The locals that were not drunk enough heard the song and as soon as they understood it’s meaning they run away. The slaughter did not took long to begin. But as soon as the first local dropped dead the Holy Mary appeared with her sword and those that had enough courage left chased the pirates until they slaughtered them all. As soon as Andrina found out what had happened to her men, she took the treasure from the boat and sank it in Blo. It took her hours to hide the treasure and when she finished, she climbed on a rock near Panormos and she fell into the sea. The place there is called Andrina since then.
It is said that her treasure is very big. It also included a golden pig with her piglets, and many local people are still trying to find it as well as many others that come to the island for that purpose.
Source: Mama-mia-island



Skopelos is the second most developed tourist destination of the Sporades and one of the greenest islands in the Aegean Sea. The island is virtually full of pine forests that make it ideal for walking and hiking. That's why Skopelos was officially nominated in 1997 as “The Green and Blue Island” from the BIOPOLITICS INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION (B.I.O.)
Read more HERE