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572451bk Kalomiris:557541bk Kelemen 3+3 23/8/10 8:48 PM Page 1 Byron Fidetzis Russian State Symphonic Capella Orchestra Byron Fidetzis was born in Thessaloniki, where he studied the cello at the State The State Symphony Capella of Russia was formed in 1991 by the combination of two well known Russian musical Conservatory, continuing on a Hellenic Foundation scholarship at the Vienna groups, the State Symphony Orchestra of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR and the State Chamber Chorus of the GREEK CLASSICS Musikhochschule with Vladimir Orloff, André Navarra and S. Benes, and attending Ministry of Culture of the USSR. The creation of such a group offers wide opportunities in choice of repertoire conducting classes under Hans Swarowsky. He has collaborated as a soloist and from chamber choirs and ensembles to large-scale symphonies and oratorios. The Capella devotes time to the conductor with all the Greek and many foreign orchestras in concerts and festivals recording of Russian and Soviet orchestral music, and the orchestra and chorus have won praise throughout the throughout Greece and abroad. From 1985 to 1992 he was permanent conductor of world for concert appearances on tour and for their recordings. the orchestra of the Greek National Opera House, and from September 1990 to 1992 Manolis chief conductor of the Ekaterinburg State Philharmonic Orchestra of the former Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra Soviet Union. Since 1992 he has been Guest Conductor of the Russian State Capella The Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1835 by Josef Labicky as a seasonal spa orchestra, to be Orchestra in Moscow (the official orchestra of the Ministry of Culture in the former transformed forty years later by Labicky’s son, August, into a permanent symphony orchestra. It was this orchestra KALOMIRIS Soviet Union), and was also Honorary Guest Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra that gave the European première of Dvorˇák’s New World Symphony in 1894. From 1911 to 1941 it was directed by of Pasardjik in Bulgaria until 1999, serving from 1999 to 2001 as Artistic Director Robert Manzer and after 1945 by Josef Bartl. From 1991 to 1998 the English conductor Douglas Bostock was Chief (1883–1962) to the same orchestra. From 2000 to 2005 he was Chief Conductor of the Symphony Conductor, followed by Alois Ježek and now by Martin Lebel. The orchestra has a wide repertoire and a history of Orchestra of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, and since 1987 has been permanent collaboration with leading soloists and visiting conductors. conductor of the Athens State Orchestra and from 2004 also its Artistic Director. Photo: Pavlos Konstantinidis Rhapsodies Julia Souglakou Julia Souglakou studied singing at the National Conservatory of Athens and in London Nos. 1 and 2 under the tutelage of Vera Rozsa on a Maria Callas scholarship. In 1994 she made her début at the Greek National Opera, playing the rôle of Nedda (Pagliacci). Since then she has appeared regularly there, with rôles including Elvira (Ernani), Amelia (Simone Lyrics Boccanegra), the Countess (Le nozze di Figaro), Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana), Anna Bolena, Freia (Rheingold), Lady Macbeth, Leonora (Il trovatore), Gioconda, and Madre (Il prigionero). She has also interpreted leading parts in operas by Greek Minas the Rebel composers, including works by Kalomiris, Samaras, Kounadis, Theodorakis, and Mikroutsikos. She has appeared in concerts, festivals and opera-houses in Greece and abroad, with a wide range of personal recitals and chamber music concerts. Russian State Eva Kotamanidou Eva Kotamanidou was born in Athens and studied French literature at the French Symphonic Capella Institute of Athens and theatre at the Karolos Koun Drama School, from which she graduated with the highest honours. She has worked with important theatrical C companies playing leading rôles, including the classical rôles of Electra, Cassandra, Karlovy Vary Andromache, Hecuba and Antigone. She has received awards for her work in films M and was elected deputy for the Coalition Party (1989-1990). She is a regular Symphony Orchestra contributor to the paper Ta Nea. Y Byron Fidetzis K 5 8.572451 6 8.572451 572451bk Kalomiris:557541bk Kelemen 3+3 23/8/10 8:48 PM Page 2 Manolis Kalomiris (1883–1962) Lyrics had its première in Athens in May 1937. The first Yet he never became particularly preoccupied with in his soul, the great excitement that the book caused him, French Resistance, shortly before France was liberated. Rhapsodies Nos. 1 and 2 • Lyrics • In St Luke’s Monastery two songs (Aphrodite Rising and The Holy Virgin of Sikelianos’s poetry, and only set to music three of his was automatically transformed into music. To mention Simone was the daughter of the singer Speranza Kalo Sparta) were composed in 1936 and the last one, The First poems forming the song cycle From the Lyric Poems of only a few of his words in that review, “… my soul is still (Elpida Kalogeropoulou), who was a good friend as well The two Rhapsodies of Kalomiris were written in the year title in Latin characters. Similar to that title is the Evening Rain, in 1937. In the composer’s manuscript there are nine Sikelianos, and the military song Onward. The piece was filled with the complex, multicoloured sounds of this as a collaborator with Kalomiris, later becoming a relative 1921 – there are no manuscripts to inform us of precise Song, translated in French as Chant du soir, which bars from a fourth song, which was supposed to have the first performed on 25th May 1937, at the Olympia Theatre unique sea symphony, those sounds which moved my soul of his too, since her son Jean, married the composer’s dates – and were published five years later, in Paris, by the Kalomiris gave to one of his easy piano pieces for Greek title Panas. These songs, the only ones that Kalomiris in Athens, with Takis Karousos reading the narrator’s part. with all the fierceness and music of the blue Aegean sea”. daughter. Menestrel Publishing House. The reason why the first, Children. Rhapsody No. 2 followed the orchestral process composed based on poems by Sikelianos, are one of his It was conducted by Leonidas Zoras. In 1959 Kalomiris The work was first performed in the National Theatre The Death of the Valiant Woman praises the bravery which the composer had dedicated to José Iturbi, was of Rhapsody No. 1, sixty years later, when it was orch- most interesting musical approaches and at the same time published In Saint Luke’s Monastery in the form of a piece of Athens on 18th October 1940, only ten days before and self-sacrifice of the heroic Greek women who will originally shown special interest, is because in 1925 it was estrated by the conductor Byron Fidetzis. He comments: a unique symphonic achievement. for violin, piano and narrator. The composer had given the outbreak of the Greek-Italian war. The Athens fight the enemy with no less courage than that of the orchestrated by the French composer and conductor ‘The Second Piano Rhapsody, composed in 1921, Music’s interrelationship with narration became one primary importance to the violin solo in the original score Conservatory Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Greek men. Neither the time of action nor the enemy is Gabriel Pierné. Pierné’s orchestration of the piece was a belongs to the composer’s second creative period, as seen of Kalomiris’s regular preoccupations from the year 1943. as well. In this version Kalomiris dedicated the piece to the Leonidas Zoras. Kalomiris mentions the date and clearly defined, but since the piece was composed in the personal gift as well as a clear sign of his respect for the by the orchestrator or the piece itself. The works which In addition to the symphonic poem In Saint Luke’s actor Thanos Kotsopoulos, who had taken part in the first performers of that concert in his hand-written full score, middle of the German occupation it most probably refers Greek composer. were composed after the Symphony of Levendia, such as Monastery, he composed two more works for narrator and performance of the Palamiki Symphony as the narrator on noting that the performance was excellent as a whole. to that historic period. The piece has an intensely epic Notably, in this music Kalomiris dared approach The Pedlar, the Trio for piano, violin and cello, the Piano orchestra: In the Palaces of the Art of Song, to a poem by 22nd January 1956. Born in Siros, Minas the Rebel, an inexperienced character, its melody being based on the popular Dance French harmonic language, experimenting with an Rhapsodies, the second cycle of the Iambs and Anapaests, K. Palamas (1943-46), and The Destruction of Psara, to The plot of this symbolic poem takes place in the night seventeen-year-old boy, seeking vengeance upon the of Zaloggo, which permeates the whole piece in its aesthetic element to which Pierné’s impressionist and, finally, the Symphony of the Simple and Good People, a poem by D. Solomos (1949?). Yet, in the music memoirs of Holy Saturday, just before the profoundly joyful news corsair Giakoumis who had taken his sisters, goes to sea numerous variations. The work was first performed in orchestration directly draws our attention. There are two are considered to belong to the above mentioned period, From Captain Lyras’ Life and Longings, for narrator, of Christ’s Resurrection. At first the poet describes the on a pirate ship. He becomes captain of the ship with the 1943, transcribed for piano by Kalomiris, at the Rex, with manuscripts of this orchestral score in Kalomiris’s which, for the composer, is probably much more inter- soloists and orchestra, the narrator plays a considerable warm, religious atmosphere in the monastery of Saint help of Styliani, a woman taken captive by the previous Loukia Sakellariou as choreographer and leading dancer.