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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!...

Σάββατο 28 Δεκεμβρίου 2013

Thanassis Moraitis / Θανάσης Μωραΐτης

Thanassis Moraitis
He was born at Vaghia (Kaznesi), a village near Thebes.
He has studied political sciences at Pantion University, voice and intonation under Popi Petrioli-Photopoulou, Byzantine music under instructor and master cantor of the Athens Cathedral Spyros Peristeris; he has chanted under the direction of the latter from 1983 to 1993 as a regular member of the Athens Cathedral choir. He has been studying Western music on his own.
Since 1992 he has been working with Markos Dragoumis at the Melpo Merlier Music Folklore Archive of the Centre of Asia-Minor Studies, on subjects related to Greek Demotic and Byzantine music.
Regordings as a singer: During the years 1984-1989 he worked with Mikis Theodorakis, taking part in concerts in Greece and abroad, as well as in the composer’s recordings: Dionysus (solo album, music and lyrics by Mikis Theodorakis, first production of Sirius by Manos Hadjidakis, Sirius-EMI 1985; re-issued in CD form, Minos-EMI 1995 & 2007); Mikis Theodorakis all time greatest hits –77 songs performed in his world tour 1986-87 (CBS 1986); Faces of the sun (on poetry by Dionyssis Karatzás, Ioulianos-CBS 1987); Memory of stone (lyrics by Michalis Bourboulis, Ioulianos-CBS 1987); 30 Years of Mikis Theodorakis (WEA 1989
Read More HERE
Βιογραφικό στα Ελληνικά ΕΔΩ

Dimitris Kotronakis
Dimitris Kotronakis was born in Heraklion, Creta (Greece), in 1973. His studies on classical guitar begun when he was at the age of seven, and were completed under guidance of Vassilis Kanaras in 1992, when he graduated from the “International Conservatory of Athens”, obtaining his guitar diploma.
He attended post-graduate studies on classical guitar at the “Athens Conservatory”, graduating again in 1996, under supervision of Costas Cotsiolis.
Meanwhile, he further expanded his theoretical musical knowledge (obtaining diploma in Fuge, under tutoring of Giorgos Sioras) and attended Musicology classes (obtaining diploma from the Musicology branch of the University of Athens, in 1996).
Read More HERE
Βιογραφικό στα Ελληνικά ΕΔΩ

Amsterdam Concerto
The main body of all three movements of this concerto for guitar and string orchestra was written in 2000 in Amsterdam (whence the title), during a concert tour I held in Belgium and the Netherlands as a singer. The composition was completed in Athens in 2001.
The initial intention -kept intact as shown upon completion of the piece- was to compose a bacchanal work, based on the "limp" rhythmic subdivisions of traditional Balkan music at large (5/8, 7/8, 8/8, 11/8 etc.), interspersed with contrasting lyrical coloristic passages. This consideration led to the use of the guitar akin to a melodic percussion instrument.
The nearly minimalistic melodic motif of the first movement (allegro ma non troppo) gets "squeezed" in between recurring rhythmic interpositions of "limp" rhythms, until it gets completed after successive transpositions.
The second movement (andante), immersed in tones of lyricism and melancholy, is dedicated to the grand master of the genre, Joaquin Rodrigo, in the sense that the two wiggling melodic phrases are almost covered up by the three little notes from the second movement (allegro gentile) of the Concierto de Aranjuez.
Following a brief romantic transfigured exposure, nearly the entire duration of the third movement (allegro maestoso) is dominated by the rhythm of 8/8 (4/4, 3+3+2). Persistence in the particular minimalistic melodic phrase pervading all but the entire movement, in association with the 8/8 and with the orchestra's contre-temps, drives the sound mass to an bacchanal culmination. [ThanassisMoraitis]

At first glance, the writing of the Amsterdam Concerto is not considered particularly "guitaristic"; the dense texture of the polyphony and the apparent complexity, place it on the top edge of the guitar technique, making it almost impossible to be performed. A more cautious approach, however, should be enough to convince us for its ultimate compatibility with the guitar idiom.
The comprehension of the character of the instrument is perfect; the composition exploits a large part of the palette of its technical capabilities. Further more, it enriches the traditional range of techniques, with particularly interesting new features.
Not limiting himself to basic techniques such as linear arpeggios and scales, the composer uses and enlarges these techniques into a new form, which sometimes reminds us of Villa Lobos or Leo Brower, (yet without imitating any of them). This is because Moraitis is not concerned about the convenience of the performer, but aims at serving and promoting the music.
Simultaneously, one of the major advantages of his music is the use of the polyphonic capabilities of the guitar. Unlike many well-known concertos where the soloist's part could be performed by monophonic instruments, here, extensive two and three voices parts are scattered all over the concerto.
The guitar becomes a protagonist of the musical material; it neither accompanies nor participates as another member of the orchestra; it definitely leads the development of the music. Breathless, from first to last measure, there are phrases that could stand out even without the orchestra, as a standalone piece of music for solo guitar. With three cadenzas at the beginning of all three movements and at least three other smaller ones, the composer highlights the virtuosic and timbral possibilities of this instrument.
This is a new and extremely exciting work, a real challenge for any soloist who dares to carry out the difficult and demanding passages. It is clearly one of the very few Greek concertos that are worth of worldwide fame and a place in the pantheon of music masterpieces of the late 20th century. [Dimitris Kotronakis]

Thanassis Moraitis  Amsterdam Concerto - Part I

Thanassis Moraitis  Amsterdam Concerto - Part II 

Thanassis Moraitis  Amsterdam Concerto - Part III

Thanassis Moraitis-Greek lullaby [Track list]

Thanassis Moraitis / Tre papor / Arvanitic song from Greece [Track list]


Τετάρτη 4 Δεκεμβρίου 2013

Zorba's Dance - Mikis Theodorakis

We are familiar with the Sirtaki with its slow initial steps accelerating progressively in the dance which was popularised by the film Alexis Zorbas starring Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates who performed this dance to the music of Mikis Theodorakis. The name Sirtaki originates from the Syrtos (dragging dance), a highly varied traditional Greek folk dance. Atypically for Greek dances, the Sirtaki is not danced in a circle, but standing in a row with the arms placed over the neighbouring dancers' shoulders.
 Mikis Theodorakis composed this famous melody in 1964: the pianist Tatiana Papageorgiou has now produced a pianistically challenging arrangement for piano solo in collaboration with the composer.

Ακούστε μια θαυμάσια εκτέλεση «Χορός του Ζορμπά» του Μίκη Θεοδωράκη. Δανείζομαι τα λόγια του φίλου πιανίστα Andreas Boutsikakis, όταν το έστειλα στη σελίδα του άλλου φίλου και μουσικού Stathis Gotsis για να το ακούσει.
«Εξαιρετική ερμηνεία και απόδοση με σεβασμό στο πρωτότυπο! Ωστόσο μου άρεσε στο γρήγορο μέρος του η 5η μινόρε που περνάει από τη σολ ματζόρε στη μι μινόρε! Άψογο και απόλυτα στο ύφος του Μίκη. Αυτή όντως είναι μια εξαιρετική διασκευή για σόλο πιάνο!»
Ο Στάθης είπε:
«Σε αντίθεση με πολλούς άλλους πιανίστες ο τύπος καταφέρνει και να είναι πιστός στο πρωτότυπο σε μεγάλο βαθμό αλλά και να προσθέσει "βελτιωτικά" στοιχεία στην σύνθεση! Πράγματι πολύ ενδιαφέρων!»

Vestard Shimkus plays «Zorba's Dance»


Δευτέρα 2 Δεκεμβρίου 2013

Maria Callas 90th Birthday [Google]

Maria Callas 90th Birthday Google Doodle Celebrates
Today December 1, 2013, Google is celebrating the life and legacy of Maria Callas with an international Google Doodle on their search engine homepages. Maria Callas’s 90th birthday.
Maria Callas (born Kalogeropoulos) was born to Greek immigrant parents. As a small child she enjoyed listening to gramophone records and radio programmes, and took piano and singing lessons.
Because of marital and financial problems, Mrs Kalogeropoulos returned to Greece with her two daughters, and Maria studied singing under a famous singing master in Athens. After several school performances, she was offered a part at the Royal Opera, in Suppé’s ‘Boccaccio’.
In 1940, Greece became engaged in the Second World War and, from time to time, Maria performed for the enemy troops. In 1942, she replaced an unwell soprano at the opera to play ‘Tosca’.
When Athens was liberated by the British Forces, she worked as an interpreter for some time, but decided to return to her father in New York, in September 1945.
She should have debuted in Chicago, but the company went bankrupt so, when Maria was offered a contract for ‘La Gioconda’ in Verona, she gladly went to Italy.
In Italy she met her future husband Meneghini, as well as her mentor, Tullio Serafin. Her sensational performance in Wagner’s ‘Walküre’ and, two days later, in Bellini’s ‘I Puritani’, received worldwide publicity. From then on she was a star and she received many recording offers from gramophone record companies. These records made her famous and popular the world over.
The press haunted her constantly and her divorce from Menighini and her affair with Aristotle Onassis were covered all over the world. She contracted a throat disease which caused her voice to lose quality, but she refused to take it seriously.
After Onassis’ marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy, Maria broke down, then made several attempts to resurrect her career, but her voice was a mere shadow of its former self; fans were saddened by its deterioration.
She died of heart failure in September 1977.
Source: Greek Reoporter




Μαρία Κάλλας (αφιέρωμα της Ναυτεμπορικής)
Στην Ελληνίδα ντίβα της όπερας, Μαρία Κάλλας, είναι αφιερωμένο το σημερινό doodle της Google, με αφορμή την 90ή επέτειο από τη γέννησή της. Η Μαρία Κάλλας (Μαρία Άννα Σοφία Καικιλία Καλογεροπούλου), η οποία υπήρξε κορυφαία υψίφωνος και η πλέον γνωστή παγκοσμίως ντίβα της όπερας, γεννήθηκε στη Νέα Υόρκη στις 2 Δεκεμβρίου 1923 και άφησε την τελευταία της πνοή στις 16 Σεπτεμβρίου 1977, στο Παρίσι.
Το Σεπτέμβριο του 1945 βρίσκεται στη Νέα Υόρκη και ξεκινά την προσπάθεια για ανεύρεση εργασίας αρχικά στη Μητροπολιτική Όπερα, δεν καταφέρνει όμως να υπογράψει συμβόλαιο. Η ακρόασή της, όμως, από τον Έντουαρντ Τζόνσον, διευθυντή της Όπερας, φέρνει την προσφορά δύο ρόλων στα έργα «Φιντέλιο» του Μπετόβεν και «Μαντάμ Μπατερφλάι» του Πουτσίνι. Η Κάλλας απορρίπτει τους ρόλους.
Η γνωριμία της με τον καλλιτεχνικό διευθυντή της Αρένας της Βερόνα, Τζοβάννι Τζενατέλλο, την οδηγεί στην Ιταλία. Εκεί, στις 3 Αυγούστου 1947 κάνει την πρώτη της εμφάνιση στην Αρένα της Βερόνα με την «Τζοκόντα» του Αμιλκάρε Πονκιέλι. Τον ίδιο χρόνο ερμηνεύει την Ιζόλδη από το «Τριστάνος και Ιζόλδη» στη Βενετία, υπό την καθοδήγηση του μαέστρου Τούλιο Σεραφίν. Συνάμα, έρχεται και η γνωριμία της με τον μουσικόφιλο ιταλό βιομήχανο Τζοβάννι Μπατίστα Μενεγκίνι, με τον οποίο παντρεύονται στις 21 Απριλίου 1949. Ο Μενεγκίνι, έχοντας και ρόλο μάνατζερ, άσκησε καταλυτική επιρροή στην καριέρα της Κάλλας, υποβάλλοντάς την σε δίαιτα με σκοπό να αποκτήσει καλύτερη εμφάνιση και αποτρέποντάς την από κάθε βιοτική ενασχόληση με την οικονομική κάλυψη, που της παρείχε. Έτσι, τον ίδιο χρόνο η Κάλλας κάνει καλλιτεχνικές εμφανίσεις στο Μπουένος Άιρες και το 1950 στο Μεξικό.
Περισσότερα ΕΔΩ