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Skalkottas: Orchestral Works

Georgios Demertzis (violin), Vassilis Varvaresos (piano), Eleftherios Venizelos, Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, Byron Fidetzis

Skalkottas: Orchestral Works

Awards:

Orchestrations that bring the works powerfully to life.

Skalkottas: Orchestral Works

Georgios Demertzis (violin), Vassilis Varvaresos (piano), Eleftherios Venizelos, Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, Byron Fidetzis

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Awards:

Orchestrations that bring the works powerfully to life.

About

The opening Sinfonietta in B flat major is a typical example of the Skalkottas' neoclassical side. In four movements and with a duration of 25 minutes, it was written in 1948, during Skalkottass final years. It is followed by the Suite for Violin and Chamber Orchestra and the Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, examples of the composers atonal idiom. Both works were among the many that disappeared after the composer left Berlin in 1933. The remaining pieces demonstrate Skalkottass involvement with the project of exploring the traditional music of Greece. The Cretan folk song Digenés in his Last Agony was transcribed and harmonized by Skalkottas for this release a recording from 1930 of the voice of Eleftherios Venizelos, the Greek Prime Minister at the time, has been superimposed over the newly recorded orchestral accompaniment. The two Marches are original compositions, but follow Greek models, while the Nine Dances are Skalkottass orchestrations of published folk songs. Simple and functional, they are in no way reminiscent of his great work, the 36 Greek Dances for large orchestra, but still reveal the composers refined aesthetic approach. In a labour of love, the music is performed by conductor Byron Fidetzis and violinist Georgios Demertzis, who have both made important contributions to the Skalkottas discography, as well as pianist Vassilis Varvaresos and the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, making their first appearance on BIS.

Contents and tracklist

I. Andante sostenuto - Allegro
Track length6:54
II. Andantino triste
Track length6:37
III. Scherzino. Molto vivace
Track length5:12
IV. Finale. Vivacissimo
Track length7:19
I. Allegro giusto
Track length3:21
II. Andante sostenuto
Track length3:10
III. Allegro vivo
Track length0:56
IV. Andante sostenuto
Track length0:41
V. Allegro
Track length2:58
I. Allegro moderato
Track length1:22
II. Moderato maestoso
Track length2:03
III. Allegretto vivace
Track length1:44
IV. Andante sostenuto
Track length3:13

Awards and reviews

March 2020

Orchestrations that bring the works powerfully to life.

February 2020

This superbly played collection of the Greek composer’s orchestral music is so stylistically diverse that on first listen I was convinced I had my iPhone set to random shuffle: the late Sinfonietta in B flat begins like Brahms and morphs into something closer to Shostakovich, whilst the Double Concerto and Little Suite occupy a far more austere, atonal sound-world, and the Marches and Greek Dances which make up the last twenty minutes of the album sound for all the world like the score of a Hollywood epic.
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