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Demertzis Georgios
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It was a completely coincidental meeting with the composer some time in 2004, following an overdue mutual introduction that led me to ask him a natural, but also instinctive question: Were there any other chamber music works?
And to be honest, I had played only one, the Trio, back in the early 1980's, and I remembered my surprise when confronted with this completely unknown, but also unexpected Theodorakis. I knew about the two Sonatinas for violin and piano and I was aware of the existence of a Sextet... and it was then that he told me there was a piece for two violins!
This was how I became actively involved in one of the - in my opinion - most interesting "discoveries" in the area of contemporary Greek music. First of all, there were two "ready to play" quartets, the first entitled Strofi (Turn, Bend) by the composer, and the second Kimitirio (Cemetery), an original transcription of a choral work by the same name. It seemed that these works had never been performed, although the manuscripts were complete and lacked only a few dynamic markings.
Then there were Three etudes for two violins and cello, in extraordinary combinations, a fact which can presumably be explained by the circumstances under which they were composed (Theodorakis' exile on the island of Icaria and the musicians he encountered there).
Next, a "gift" from the violinist Tatsis Apostolidis, a piece completely forgotten by the composer himself, who didn't even have a copy of it, the Theme and Variations for solo violin... This proved to be an even greater surprise, a piece eminently suited to the instrument it was written for, extremely demanding technically, and dedicated to George Lykoudis, the teacher of my own teacher, Stelios Kafantaris. And it looked as if this piece had never been played before either.
The next quartet, Maza, the fourth in chronological terms, emerged somewhat later, since the indication "incomplete" in the Koutoulas catalogue and the composer's own decided reply to my queries about the work: "that one is gone..." resulted in a belated interest on my part in the existing material related to this piece. However, when I finally did turn my attention to it, I realized that what I had before me was one of the most interesting works I had ever seen from the composer's early period. In essence, there was a single movement of a piece which had remained incomplete, a "Quartettsatz", only that is was not by Schubert - it was by Theodorakis. This time, the manuscript was in a genuinely "incomplete" state, and thus the valuable support of a good friend, the composer Philippos Tsalahouris, was crucial. Theodorakis' reaction when he first heard his work was moving, and he hastened to express his approval of the way it had been completed — and it was not long before a title had been bestowed on it [Maza).
Finally, the third quartet, Epoca Nocturna, is a transcription by Philippos Tsalahouris of Oedipus Rex (a work for string orchestra), an idea of mine which was perhaps not very well thought-out, since it turned out to be easier said than done. Nonetheless, it was rewarded by an admirable result and once again gained Theodorakis' full approval.
Despite the subjectivity that goes hand in hand with my own role, essentially that of a musician interpreting this music, I might add that the significance of these works, in terms of their place in the Greek repertoire as well as a contribution to a better understanding of the "phenomenon" that is Mikis Theodorakis and the worldwide appreciation his music enjoys, is enormous. It is a great privilege to know that an entire universe of music, sung and played all over the world today, is expressed in terms of motifs and other original rhythmic and morphological ideas in these chamber music pieces... all composed by a young artist within an all-embracing climate of tension, with the obvious repercussions this entailed for the prevailing socio-political circumstances and aesthetics.
Here is a composer who made unexpectedly courageous decisions at a very early stage. I believe that it must have taken a daring spirit to resist the avant-gardism to which almost all of his other colleagues succumbed at that time, and to express an original musical language in the midst of a great classical tradition. It was not until later on that words were added to this music. And yet, it is as if they were already there, words made of pure music, written by a composer who -to this day - we do not know as well as we should.
Georgios Demertzis
Excerpts of the booklet with "Chamber Works" (I) by Mikis Theodorakis
LEGEND CLASSICS 2201655962
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