Onassis
What’s On

A tribute to Georges Aperghis

Decoding his music universe

Dates

Prices

Free admission with entrance tickets

Location

Athens

Time & Date

Day
Time
Venue
Day
Thursday 17 - Sunday 20 March
Time
18:00
Venue
Athens Conservatoire (Rigillis & Vasileos Georgiou B΄ 17-19, Athens)

Information

Entrance Tickets

Bookings can be made by contacting the Athens Conservatoire directly – via telephone or email

Τ. +30 210 72 40 673 (Monday - Friday, from 12:30 to 19:30) & press@athensconservatoire.gr

Featuring a music theater performance adapted for the first ever time in the Greek language, a masterclass, and concerts, Onassis Stegi and the Athens Conservatoire honor the distinguished Greek composer, who in 2021 received one of the most prestigious composers’ awards worldwide, the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize.

Onassis Stegi once again joins forces with the Athens Conservatoire on a tribute to Georges Aperghis’s music theater universe, following the event’s postponement due to the pandemic in 2020, but also the lasting impression made by the tribute to Olivier Messiaen in 2019 – a collaboration between the two institutions. For the first time in Greece, Georges Aperghis, along with his hand-picked collaborators, will teach his oeuvre to a younger generation of artists.

The composer Nicolas Tzortzis, who studied under Aperghis and masterminded the entire program for the tribute, will lead a team of musicians, actors, and dancers in creating a new version of “Énumérations” (1988), based of course on Aperghis’s original work (17/3).

Françoise Rivalland, percussionist and Aperghis’s longtime collaborator, will teach a master class on the composer’s music theater works, while she will also participate in a concert for voice, percussion, and accordion, along withAngèle Chemin and Vincent Lhermet (18 & 20/3).

Lenio Liatsou, who recently recorded Aperghis’s works for piano, will perform a recital (18/3); finally, a concert will be held by the participants in the master class (19/3).

Aperghis’s works will be taught for the first time in Greece

Program | Day 1

Thursday 17 March

18:00

Discussion between Georges Aperghis, Nicolas Tzortzis, and Christos Carras (moderator) on Aperghis’s compositional oeuvre

20:00

Georges Aperghis: “Énumérations” **
for musicians, vocalists, actrors, and dancers, with the participants of the workshop for the staging of the piece, supervised by Nicolas Tzortzis

With: Myrto Akrivou, Roxani Chatzidimitriou, Anthi Damvouneli, Justine Goussot, Chrissianna Karameri, Niki Krasaki, Isabella Margara, Iro Menegou, Theano Papadaki, Thalia Papadopoulou, Vicky Sachpazi, Ioanna Vrakatseli

With the participation of Lorenda Ramou

Program | Day 2

Friday 18 March

10:30-13:00 & 15:00-18:00

Masterclass conducted by Françoise Rivalland on Georges Aperghis’s works and music theater works

20:00

Piano recital by Lenio Liatsou

Oliver Messiaen: “Canteyodjaya” for piano (1950), 13΄
Georges Aperghis: “Les secrets élémentaires” for piano (1998), 14΄
Manos Tsangaris: “ATHINA RETURNS” (2020) * for piano, 12΄

Intermission

Georges Aperghis: “Conversations X” **
for voice and prepared piano (1985), 3΄
Matthew Shlomowitz: “See my logic/Popular Contexts” ** for piano (2010), 4΄
Georges Aperghis: “Simata” for untuned/prepared piano (1970), 20΄

Featuring the actress Athina Alexopoulou

Program | Day 3

Saturday 19 March

18:30-19:30

Discussion on the interpretation of Georges Aperghis’s works, with Georges Aperghis, Françoise Rivalland, and Lenio Liatsou, moderated by Lorenda Ramou

20:00

Concert of the participants at Françoise Rivalland’s masterclass

Vinko Globokar: “Toucher” for percussion (1973), 10΄
Theo Vazakas: percussion

Georges Aperghis: “Récitation 8” for female voice (1977-1978)
Danae Bletsa, soprano

Georges Aperghis: “Retrouvailles” for two percussionists-actors (2013), 13΄
Panagiotis Ziavras & Eirini Amanatiadou: percussion

Georges Aperghis: “Quatre pièces fébriles” for marimba and piano (1995), 17΄
Kostas Seremetis: percussion
Thalia Papadopoulou: piano

Georges Aperghis: “Récitation 9” for female voice (1977-1978), 6΄
Anna Pangalou: mezzo-soprano

Georges Aperghis: “Fuzzy trio” for violin, percussion, and piano (2008), 10΄
Kompass Ensemble
Swaantje Kaiser: violin
Henry Heizmann: percussion
Elena Ralli: piano

Program | Day 4

Sunday 20 March

18:30

Video screening
Georges Aperghis: “The Little Riding Hood,” music theater for children and six instrumentalists (2001), 40΄

20:00

Georges Aperghis:

“Le corps à corps” (1978) for zarb

“Ligne de fissure” ** (2008) for cymbalum

“Merry go round” ** (2019) for accordion

“Τingel Tangel” ** (1990) for voice, cymbalum, and accordion

Angèle Chemin: soprano
Françoise Rivalland: zarb, cymbalum
Vincent Lhermet: accordion

* World premiere

** Greek premiere

Read more
  • Georges Aperghis presents “Tingel Tangel” (1990, 35’), a composition for voice, percussion, and accordion, as an “idiosyncratic, expressionistic, odd, and riotous work that resurrects the 1930s cabaret.”
  • The composer accepted the invitation to adapt the original “Énumérations” to the idiosyncrasies of the Greek language. This is the first time that one of his works is adapted in Greek, and the first performance of this work in Greece.
  • “Énumérations” has also been adapted for film by Aperghis himself and Hugo Santiago. A derelict building, left half in ruins by an unspecified disaster, is the setting for a recital created out of the remains of sound in the memories of the men and women who populate the space. They perform a musical rite of sorts, an attempt to exorcise catastrophe.
  • The tribute will include work by the early-career composers enrolled in the seminar, focusing on the use of techniques adopted by Georges Aperghis.
  • Watch Nicolas Tzortzis’s talk on “Énumérations”
  • Watch a Françoise Rivalland’s performance of Aperghis’s “Corps à corps,” a work which will be performed on 20/3
  • Lenio Liatsou performing Aperghis’s “Dans le mur”

Credits

  • General Supervision of the tribute

    Georges Aperghis

  • Tribute planning

    Georges Aperghis, Nicolas Tzortzis, Françoise Rivalland

  • Coordination

    Lorenda Ramou

  • Coordination (Athens Conservatoire)

    Nikos Athineos

  • With the participation of

    Georges Aperghis, Nicolas Tzortzis (seminar tutor), Françoise Rivalland (percussion/cimbalom/masterclass tutor), Angèle Chemin (Soprano), Vincent Lhermet (accordion), Lenio Liatsou (piano), Athina Alexopoulou (actress), Aggelos Mitsios (editing)

Biographies

Athens Conservatoire | Protective measures against Covid-19
The Athens Conservatoire is implementing all current protective measures for combatting Covid-19 throughout its spaces and halls.
  • Persons aged 18 and over must present a booster vaccination certificate, or a vaccination certificate (valid for seven months), or a recovery certificate (valid for three months) in order to enter.
  • Non-vaccinated children (under the age of 18) must present the negative result of a rapid test taken within the preceding 48 hours in order to enter.
  • Everyone entering the Athens Conservatoire must also present a valid ID card or other form of identification so that the necessary Covid-19 documentation outlined above can be verified.

Visitors and staff must wear either a high-protection mask (N95 or KN93 or FFP2) or two layered surgical masks at all times when inside the Athens Conservatoire.

Sponsors / Partners

More in: