Daily Archives: 23 February, 2012

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Papadiamantis and for the 2012

Performances based on his texts continue in theaters inside and outside of Athens

If the 2011 it was dedicated to Alexandros Papadiamantis, due to the centenary of his death (3/1/1911), the 2012 it seems to be a continuation of the anniversary. At least this is proven through the ever-increasing number of performances staged on the Athenian stages or repeated in and outside the capital, as is the festival "Dream on the wave" which will (again)is premiering, this time at the Acropolis Theater, at 13 Of March, with Thanasis Sarandos. A little earlier, at 3 "Dark Tales" begins in March, a performance based on three dramatized short stories of his edited and directed by Stamatis Bandouna.

"I think especially in this day and age, with the economic but above all the moral crisis, the search for the lost Greek identity is what stimulates the viewer above all. He wants to see and hear the Greek language. He wants to remember that in addition to debt, Greece has also produced people who touched our souls very deeply", says Thanasis Sarandos who directs "Dream on the Wave" and performs the monologue. "The world seeks the purity and truth of Papadiamantis", adds as his experience of the Skiathite poet begins with his engagement with the "American, which he uploaded three years ago, a show that recently completed its cycle. “I noticed that if the audience was older in the beginning, little by little, more and more young people began to come".

Takis Chrysikakos is aimed at viewers of all ages as well as high school students, through "The flower of Gialos", one of the top short stories of Alexandros Papadiamantis turned into a theatrical monologue by Errico Belier. The performance directed by Mania Papadimitriou, has taken to the stage of the Anesis theatre, and will be played for two more weekends (25-26/2 and 3-4/3, at 18.00). "We also give some shows for high school students, who also taught him. I admit that to such a difficult audience as teenagers, not even a whisper is heard. Even their teachers are surprised by the behavior of the students", says the actor who bows to Papadiamantis' linguistic richness "with the 13.500 words, at a time when young people talk to few". And in times as difficult as our current ones, I feel like I'm resisting by letting the richness of Papadiamantis be heard".

Since its inception, the theater season 2011-2012 defined by a series of works by Papadiamantis: Starting with "Fonissa" which Stathis Livathinos chose to direct at the Kefallinia Street theater, with Betty Arvanitis. "Nostalgo" is proposed by the Free Expression stage, directed by Dimos Avdeliodi with Mary Inglesi, while Antonis and Konstantinos Koufalis continue, until 28 February, with the "Poor and Saints", a compilation of his adapted short stories (at the Vasilakou theater).

End, "The merchants of the nations" who went up to the House of Letters and Arts, they moved to Thessaloniki and are now performed at the Avlaia theater. The performance of the OPERA group is directed by Thodoris Abazis "Alithinos, he had devalued money and material values. Fighter for Greek morals and Greek identity, with a political reason, still expresses our time today. Besides", reminds Thanasis Sarandos, "had experienced the bankruptcy during Trikoupis and the waste in the preparation of the Olympiad". Ο times o manners…..

Source : tovima.gr

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Martha Argerich: A living legend of the piano at the Athens Concert Hall

Undoubtedly dominant among the great pianists of the 20th century and one of the most shocking performers of recent...
50 years, η Μάρθα Άργκεριχ, she has the world at her feet and the piano at her command: turns it into an eerie cascade of colors, she has a disarmingly carnal and tender relationship with him and her sound combines mysterious clarity,  rhythmic intensity and spontaneity that is riveting.

Martha Argerich comes to Athens with the musical "family" she has created for years, with members of the great star soloists, accomplished performers, but also young musicians who have stood out. Misha Maisky (cello), Steven Kovacevic (piano), Yuri Basmet (viola and conducting), Reno Capyson and Lia Petrova (violin), Dora Bakopoulou, Akane Sakai, Lily Maisky, Alexander Mogilevsky, Julia Zaikina (piano), Alexandros Kapelis (piano), Takis Kapogiannis (contrabass), Sergey Nakariakov (trumpet), Dimitris Desyllas and Andreas Farmakis(crust), participate and collaborate with Argerich in three concerts with music from the 18th century, in the 19th and 20th centuries. The camera, Orchestra of the Friends of Music conducted by Yuri Basmet on the first day and Gerard Corsten on the following two.

The three-day program includes:

works of Saint-Saëns (Septet for piano, trumpet, two violins, viola, cello and double bass, work 65), Schumann(Quintet for piano and strings, work 44), Mozart (Sinfonia Concertante for violin, viola and orchestra in E flat major K364) and Shostakovich (Concerto no. 1 for piano and trumpet, work 35) on Saturday 10/3, Mozart(Andante & Variations for piano four hands, K501 and Piano Concerto in B flat major, KV 456)), Ravel ('My mother the goose' for four hands), Shostakovich(Concertino for two pianos, work 94), Schumann(Fantasy pieces, work 73), Kabalevsky(Concerto for piano and orchestra no.4, work 99(of Prague) and Haydn(Cello Concerto No.1 in C major Hob.VIIb.1) on Sunday 11/3 and Stravinsky (The Rite of Spring for four pianos and two percussion instruments) and Bach(Concerto for two pianos and orchestra BWV 1060, Concerto for three pianos and orchestra, BWV 1064 and Concerto for Four Pianos and Orchestra BWV1065 on Monday 12/3.

Great sponsor of Camerata, Orchestra of Friends of Music for the period 2011-2013 is the Alexandros S. Charitable Foundation. Onassis.

Argerich resides on the high peaks of the world of virtuosos. Her fans are running out of superlatives to talk about her, her competitors turn into fanatical fans and wait patiently outside her dressing rooms. In her concerts, one sees scenes from other places and times: respectable gentlemen running down the aisles with bouquets in hand, famous musicians to applaud wildly from their stands, choleric critics to surrender with awkward smiles.

Argerich has qualities that are rarely combined in one person: pianist with unimaginable technical agility, charismatic woman with an enigmatic life, unassuming performer whose mother tongue is music and that's what makes her stand out. There are many great pianists who do wonders, but few have mastered that uninhibited naturalness in expression that allows them to inhabit the music rather than perform it.

Born in Buenos Aires, made her first appearance in 5 of years and up to 16 it had won her first prizes in major European competitions. At first he followed the usual international career, but as it matured it turned into a universe, to a model and "legislator", unpredictable, generous, indomitable, with a volcanic temperament and surprising attitudes by the conventional standards of the world of great performers. "A wonderful painting without a frame", as Daniel Barenboim says about her.

Martha Argerich's mature identity emerged from a paradoxical combination: indifference to reputation, money and career and an excruciating loneliness she feels when she is alone on stage. On this ground she created institutions to collaborate with her distinguished colleagues, to support and highlight young musicians and build musical "families".

With her signature it is made by 2002 το Martha Argerich Project, which lasts 3 weeks, as part of the Lugano Festival, where the "family" gathers every year with its permanent and new members and in Buenos Aires, from 1999, the Martha Argerich International Competition with herself as the president of the jury. From the same year, the Martha Argerich Music Festival takes place in southern Japan and in Lucerne, Switzerland, in collaboration with Claudio Abado, the piano days and workshops for the promotion of new pianists.

Like other legendary performers – Pablo Casals, Vladimir Horowitz- Argerich never got over stage fright. "There are times when I have terrible panic attacks, the most incredible things pass through my mind, a full hall, it's scary. My knees are shaking, i have chills, I feel like I'm going to collapse", she confessed in the excellent portrait made of her by the French director Georges Casot, the 2002 and is released on DVD by the Medici Arts company.

That is why her solo recitals are rare,  that's why she often hides behind her rich and thick hair on stage and that's why she "converses" with the composers when she plays and isolates herself in the dialogue between them: “I prefer not to joke with Schumann, but i think he likes me. With Chopin it is not always easy, he's probably a little jealous of me. Prokofiev loves me very much, he never sets traps for me".

With a shock began her relationship with the piano: it was 6 years old and her mother took her to the Colon Theater in Buenos Aires, in the piano concerto no. 4 by Beethoven with Claudio Arau, "I had fallen asleep and suddenly I heard the trills in the second part, I shuddered, an electric shock went through me, I refuse to play this concerto, I'm afraid what will happen, it's so important to me".

In 9 of, before playing a Mozart concerto, he knelt down and thought: “if I'm wrong on a note, i will die". Perfectionism has followed her ever since. "I always doubt it, I'm always unsure, i'm looking. If one is too satisfied or abandoned to the routine, it's a disaster".

Misha Maisky, who has been working with her since 2002 in Lugano he says that “working with Martha Argerich is like life: it is not easy, she can be very unpredictable and very irritating. But it is what,what more wonderful thing can happen to you. She is unbelievably gifted, to an almost desperate extent".

And the American critic, Alex Ross notes that in Argerich's performances one gets the feeling, "how the pianist abandons the idea of ​​a grand performance and is as if playing for herself and slowly emerges a rare performance. It saves many composers from the usual excesses of virtuosos and restores their essence, makes them sound new, contemporaries, with bold tones. The way the piano responds to Argerich's touch is a natural phenomenon that defies interpretation, it is like the surface, a revelation".

Source : culturenow.gr

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Man of the year Sakis Rouvas

Awarded for his contribution to the "Hope" club

The man of the year award was given to Sakis Rouvas in Cyprus and the singer could not hide his emotion.

He thanked from the bottom of his heart those who awarded him for his contribution to the club "Hope" for children with cancer.

"It is very important for me to receive this award in Cyprus from people who know well what difficulty means… I understand that you don't want to reward me but the offer.. », he stated.

However , as he said, he would rather not be there receiving such an award because it means there are children suffering in hospitals. So do their parents.

Source : newsbeast.gr

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Revelation for the new 3-door Audi A3

The first images of the new 3-door A3 have leaked online. From these it follows that the small and medium Audi acquires an even more dynamic and modern image. Let's see it, shortly before its official debut in Geneva.
The first official images of the new A3 in production form have leaked online. The midsize Audi hasn't changed dramatically, but adopting an even more dynamic style and many elements that make it look particularly modern. In fact, especially this 3-door body version of it also has a fairly youthful profile. In each case, we remind you that the new A3 will also have 5 doors in its range (Sportback) publications, while we will see it in both convertibles and sedans, based on last year's prototype A3 Concept.

From a technological point of view, we have emphasized again that the new Audi A3 will "step" on a completely new platform that was developed for more than one model in the circles of the VW group, called MQB.

As far as car engines are concerned, it's a little early to draw firm conclusions. However, unexpectedly, at the base of the A1 range we will see the new TFSI 1,2 liter, with performance 105 horses. Immediately after, he will follow 1,4 TFSI possibly in upgraded performance 130 and 160 horses. At 2 liters, there will be again the 2,0 TFSI with performance between 210 and 250 horses, while for the top S3, the power will again be at 265 horsepower. A very important element is Audi's intention to bring the Start system as standard in all engines&Stop, so as to further ensure lower emissions and limited consumption. The diesel engines will be similarly developed in the new A3 1,6 and 2,0 liter.

Source : autotriti.gr

Athens Concert Hall

Sanades and Word of Mouth at the Athens Concert Hall

The distinctive polyphonic girl group and the distinguished duo of Greek beatboxers collaborate on a new a capella music
show that explores the limits of the human voice through unpredictable arrangements of songs from around the world (from Tsitsani to Shakira and from Kurt Weill and Cohen to Rage Against the Machine)

The polyphonic female group Sanades and the human beatbox duo Word of Mouth, two new Greek groups with different musical origins but (public) trademark the "superplane" of the voice (and the microphone) their, capable of overpowering any musical instrument and contending with any genre of music, soundly invade the Concert Hall for an unexpected a capella performance that will take place on Saturday 3 Of March, at 9 in the evening in the Banquet Hall.

A project representative of their three-year collaboration, with a renewed repertoire and plenty of humor, with experiments of their own compositions and arrangements of songs from all over the world: Greek and foreign, traditional and modern, classical and rock, from Tsitsani to Shakira and from Kurt Weill and Cohen to Rage Against The Machine and Phoebo Delivoria. True to their goal of exploring the limits of the human voice, Sanades (Look at Kurtis, Maria Kotti, Sophia Sarri, Mariastella Tzanoudaki) and Word of Mouth (The Boy Dad, bitman) create once again a sound universe of their own that contracts and expands, condensing the polyphonic tradition, modern experimentation and hip hop culture. Aiming for audience participation in an original music game where anything is possible…

The show - directed by Kellys Karahaliou - is part of the "New Trends - New Creators" Section of the Bridges Series directed by Dimitris Maragopoulos.

The a cappella – beatbox project by Sanades and Word of Mouth produces the sound of an orchestra, some drum machines, scratches and a female choir can produce in their entirety, but without the use of musical instruments! Except for the human voice.

Mata Kurtis, Maria Kotti, Sofia Sarri and Mariastella Tzanoudaki, four singers introduced to polyphonic traditional culture, and El Pap Chico and Bitman, the best known representatives of human beatbox in Greece – of the art of reproducing rhythms and melodies using only the human mouth – join forces once again for a show "musically uncomplicated and scenically entertaining" where beatboxing sounds natural and effortless over traditional songs of Greece and the Balkans (as in the Thracian traditional songs "Alexandris", in the traditional Drama "Black Hawk", a Chanio Syrto based on lyrics by Cretan mandinads and also by Maria Koti, in Bulgarian "Zora se a zazorila" and "Izgrejala jasna zvezda"), in African American religious songs («Down to the river to pray»), or Mexican traditional ("The Llorona") but also well-known rebetika ("Kaixis" by Apostolos Hatzichristou-Giorgos Fotiadis and "I return like an outcast" by Vassilis Tsitsanis).

The musical wandering of the two bands in the vast paths of music continues with top songs of important modern classics, pop and rock composers and songwriters as is the case with the: "Mack the knife" from Kurt Weill-Bertolt Brecht's "The Opera of Five", "Ma Morning" (2005) by Belgian Nicolas Lens, «Hallelujah» (1984) by Leonard Cohen, «Mountains o’things» (1988) by Tracy Chapman but also "Bullet in the head", written it 1992 by the American rockers-rappers Rage Against The Machine.

While there are some famous film soundtracks such as: "Amara me" in music by Nino Rota (an Italian fado from the movie “Film of love and anarchy, 1973), "Belleville rendez-vous" by Benoit Charest-Sylvain Sommet - arrangement by Mata Kurtis - from the animated film "The Belleville Trio" by 2003 and "La despedida" written and composed by Shakira especially for the film "Love in the Cholera Years" 2008, commissioned by the author of the novel of the same name, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. They join the a capella-beatbox program of the Sanads-Word of Mouth, end, arrangements of extremely modern songs by Greek art music creators – like "The Darkness of Two" (2010) by Phoebus Delivorias – but also originals, their own compositions («Step into the light»), beatbox improvisations and medleys.

The vocal group Sanades was created in October 2007 in Athens and today consists of four female singers with different musical origins. Decisive for the creation of the group was the participation of its members in the seminars organized by Ross Daly and the Labyrinth music workshop in Crete. The live performances of Sanads began with their participation in the Muse Festival in December 2007 in Janos. A series of appearances followed in various music scenes in Athens. In July of 2008 appeared at the Rock Theater with Chainedes and Mode Plagal.

The recording of this concert was released in December 2008 on the double cd "The Descent of the Saltimbags". From the 2009 their collaboration with the beatbox format Word of Mouth enables them to successfully present a series of musical performances. The four singers, through the paths of polyphonic traditions, they experiment with their own compositions and arrangements from Apostolos Kaldara to Dr. John.

Word of Mouth are the best known representatives of human beatbox in Greece, that is, the art of reproducing rhythms and melodies using only the human mouth. They have appeared as official speakers at TEDx Athens 2011 promoting the "language" of beatbox, of the World Beatbox Battle competition (Berlin 2009), of the Greek Festival, of the Athens Concert Hall and open concerts of renowned hip hop foreign artists in Greece, like Snoop Dogg (US), Phi-Life Cypher (UK), Lords of the Underground (US) and Beat Assailant (US).

Their permanent collaboration since 2009 with the polyphonic group Sanades in arrangements from Greece and all over the world he highlighted the possibilities of the musical connection of voice and beatbox, with a series of successful performances in Athens and the region ("A capella Stories" at the Dipylon Theatre, "A capella is crazy" in Athenaida et al.). The vocal abilities of the cast members have been used in a series of television and radio commercials, in special events but also in recording works of other artists. Word of Mouth has created the first Beatbox Academy in Greece in which they teach the secrets and technique of beatbox. Their first album is expected to be released in 2012.    

Source : culturenow.gr

Opera

Top operas "live" in Danaos

Three performances from lyrical theaters will be broadcast between March and May

The fact that the most important opera theaters in Europe are following the path laid out by the 2006 the Metropolitan Opera of New York and broadcast selected productions in cinemas around the world, is known to opera lovers.

So, after the program “The Met:Live in HD" which from this year has also come to our country thanks to the support of the ANTENNA group and offers those who wish to watch performances from New York at the Concert Hall of Athens and Thessaloniki as well as in a number of other venues throughout Greece, the "Danaos" cinema (Kifissia 109 and Panormou) gives another chance: in the period March-May 2012, will broadcast three major productions from as many leading European theatres.

The start will be on 12 Of March (at 21.00) with Puccini's popular "La Boheme" broadcast live from Barcelona's Liceu theater starring Fiorenzia Cedolins (Mimi) and Ramon Vargas (Rodolfo).

»Welcome tomorrow Saturday the students in the area of ​​Bouga Schools 17 April, Verdi's "Rigoletto" will be broadcast from London's Covent Garden where, in fact, the title role will be performed by “ours” distinguished baritone Dimitris Platanias, framed by an international distribution where, including, the role of the Duke will be played by the much-discussed Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo and that of Gilda by the distinguished soprano Ekaterina Siurina.
One of the most talked about productions of recent years, Franco Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac starring superstar tenor Placido Domingo, end, the opportunity to attend at 10 May broadcast live from the Real Theater in Madrid. Ticket price for all broadcasts is set at 12 euro.

Source : tovima.gr