At the Edge of Romanticism | Concert of classical music: August 11 at the 9th Andros International Festival
MUSIC
"At the Edge of Romanticism"
Giorgos Emmanouil Lazaridis (piano)
Christos Grimpas (cello)
Open Theater of Chora
Friday, August 11, 2023 at 21:00
Classical music concert with world-famous pianist and composer Giorgos Emmanouil Lazaridis, together with Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra’s renowned cellist Christos Grimpas. Having given dozens of joint musical performances in Greece and around the world, these two inseparable friends will once more enchant their audience with a unique tribute to early 20th century music. The programme features two emblematic musical works by Sergei Rachmaninov and Modest Mussorgsky, highly demanding on both a technical and a performative level.
Part 1
Sergei Rachmaninov: Sonata for Cello and Piano
Sergei Rachmaninov’s famous Sonata in G minor for Cello and Piano was completed in 1901. Rachmaninov composed the sonata in such a way so that piano is not complementary to cello. Themes are introduced by piano, but are extended and enriched by cello. Rachmaninov dedicated this work to Anatoliy Brandukov, who carried out his first musical execution in Moscow.
Part 2
Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition for Solo Piano
One of the most famous suites for piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, this composition became widely known through orchestrations and adaptations carried out by numerous musicians throughout the years –Maurice Ravel’s adaptation perhaps being the most well-known one. In this musical feast, the audience will have the opportunity to wander in a gallery with their ears, since Mussorgsky uses music as a sonic brush to describe paintings.
ADMISSION:
General admission: 15 €
Presale: www.ticketservices.gr and at the theater box office daily 10:00-14:00 and 18:00-21:00.
About the Artists
Giorgos Emmanouil Lazaridis is a multi-talented, widely recognised personality, counting 30 years of continuous creative presence in the global music scene as a soloist, composer, educator and pioneer in the foundation and development of new cultural institutions. His distinguished career has taken him from the USA and Mexico to Europe, Egypt and the Middle East, while he has also performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert venues, such as Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Muzikverein and Kölner Philharmonie. His performances have been described as “beyond comparison” (BBC Music Magazine, Adrian Jack) and “so distinct that they preserve their uniqueness even when we’re thinking of great performances by Argerich, Horowitz, Brendel, Zimerman” (Grammophone Music Magazine).
Until today Lazaridis has given hundreds of concerts in international festivals and large music venues across the globe, and has collaborated with world-class orchestras such as the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London and many more. He has cooperated with famous lead musicians (Yuri Temirkanov, Neville Marriner, Mikko Franck, Ingo Metzmacher and others), acclaimed Greek conductors and world-famous chamber music ensembles and artists, such as Leonidas Kavakos, Barbara Hendricks, Michael Tilson Thomas, Dimitris Sgouros and Maria Farantouri. Giorgos Lazaridis has given masterclasses in Universities in the UK, USA, Spain, Malaysia, etc., and has been invited as a jury member in various piano competitions internationally, such as the Maria Callas, Gina Bachauer and Sussex International competitions. He is a founding member of the Music Village international music community and the ADAP Association of Artists for Peace. From 2011 to 2013 he was appointed Artistic Director in the department of musical events of the Dimitria Festival, while from September 2010 to December 2018 he served as the Artistic Director of Thessaloniki Concert Hall, which is the largest cultural organisation of Northern Greece. He has been a leading figure in the foundation of significant institutions such as the MOYSA Youth Symphony Orchestra and the International Children Choirs Festival of Thessaloniki Concert Hall. He has been the Head of the State Conservatory and is currently a professor at the Department of Music Science and Art in the University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki.
Christos Grimpas studied cello at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, from where he graduated with distinction. He pursued higher musical studies at the Akademie der Künste (Academy of Arts) in Berlin next to Professor Markus Niykos, and completed his post-graduate studies with distinction at the Music Academy of Essen next to Professor Vladimir Mendelssohn.
He has won multiple awards in Greek competitions, has given solo recitals and chamber music concerts in many European countries, and has often collaborated with artists such as Vladimir Mendelssohn, Anna Nachaeva, Shimizu Takashi and Giorgos-Emmanouil Lazaridis.
As a soloist he has cooperated with the State and Municipal Symphony Orchestras of Thessaloniki, Athens Municipal Symphony Orchestra, Sofia Symphony Orchestra, North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra of Teplice, Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra, and more.
In 2001 he recorded Bohuslav Martinu’s 1st concert, performed for the 1st time in Greece with ERT National Symphony Orchestra, and in 2014 he recorded Martinu’s triple concert for violin, cello and piano, broadcast live by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT). In 2012 he recorded Mozart’s symphonies #39 and #40 adapted for quartet with piano, for the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). In 2018 he recorded Friedrich Gulda’s concert for cello and big band with ERT Music Ensembles.
Christos Grimpas is a founding member of the Transcription Ensemble, which has performed at Tate Gallery in London, Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid, Manege State Museum in St. Petersburg, Hellenic Foundation for Culture in Odessa, and elsewhere. He is also active in the field of education, participating in programmes of the Greek Embassy in Berlin and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2002 he has been is a permanent member of Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra.
