Skalkottas: Orchestral Works Athens Philharmonia Orchestra & Byron Fidetzis

• Nikos Skalkottas (1904 - 1949): Sinfonietta in B-Flat Major, AK 10 (Ed. Y. Samprovalakis):
• 1 Sinfonietta in B-Flat Major, AK 10 (Ed. Y. Samprovalakis): I. Andante sostenuto - Allegro 06:53
• 2 Sinfonietta in B-Flat Major, AK 10 (Ed. Y. Samprovalakis): II. Andantino triste 06:36
• 3 Sinfonietta in B-Flat Major, AK 10 (Ed. Y. Samprovalakis): III. Scherzino. Molto vivace 05:13
• 4 Sinfonietta in B-Flat Major, AK 10 (Ed. Y. Samprovalakis): IV. Finale. Vivacissimo 07:05
• Concerto for Violin, Piano & Orchestra, AK 21 (Orch. Y. Samprovalakis):
• 5 Concerto for Violin, Piano & Orchestra, AK 21 (Orch. Y. Samprovalakis): I. Allegro giusto 03:19
• 6 Concerto for Violin, Piano & Orchestra, AK 21 (Orch. Y. Samprovalakis): II. Andante sostenuto 03:11
• 7 Concerto for Violin, Piano & Orchestra, AK 21 (Orch. Y. Samprovalakis): III. Allegro vivo 00:56
• 8 Concerto for Violin, Piano & Orchestra, AK 21 (Orch. Y. Samprovalakis): IV. Andante sostenuto 00:41
• 9 Concerto for Violin, Piano & Orchestra, AK 21 (Orch. Y. Samprovalakis): V. Allegro 02:52
• Little Suite, AK 23 (Orch. Y. Samprovalakis):
• 10 Little Suite, AK 23 (Orch. Y. Samprovalakis): I. Allegro moderato 01:20
• 11 Little Suite, AK 23 (Orch. Y. Samprovalakis): II. Moderato maestoso 02:04
• 12 Little Suite, AK 23 (Orch. Y. Samprovalakis): III. Allegretto vivace 01:43
• 13 Little Suite, AK 23 (Orch. Y. Samprovalakis): IV. Andante sostenuto 03:06
• Nikos Skalkottas:
• 14 Digenés in His Last Agony (Transcr. N. Skalkottas) [Orch. Y. Samprovalakis] 02:26
• 15 Ancient Greek March, AK 11d 02:15
• 16 March in D Major 01:19
• 17 The Vlach Woman (Orch. N. Skalkottas) [Ed. Y. Samprovalakis] 01:17
• 18 The Maypole (Orch. N. Skalkottas) [Ed. Y. Samprovalakis] 01:28
• 19 Mount Pelion Dance (Orch. N. Skalkottas) [Ed. Y. Samprovalakis] 01:36
• 20 High up on Kostilata (Orch. N. Skalkottas) [Ed. Y. Samprovalakis] 01:27
• 21 Corfiot Dance (Orch. N. Skalkottas) [Ed. Y. Samprovalakis] 01:13
• 22 Up the street (Orch. N. Skalkottas) [Ed. Y. Samprovalakis] 00:57
• 23 Lioúlios (Orch. N. Skalkottas) [Ed. Y. Samprovalakis] 05:38
• 24 Paraskevoúla (Orch. N. Skalkottas) [Ed. Y. Samprovalakis] 02:20
• 25 Physoúni (Orch. N. Skalkottas) [Ed. Y. Samprovalakis] 01:48
• Total Runtime 01:08:43

Info for Skalkottas: Orchestral Works

This programme of previously unrecorded works illustrates a highly distinctive aspect of Nikos Skalkottas as a composer: The ‘neoclassical’ Skalkottas goes hand in hand with the ‘national’ and the ‘modernist’ composer, the common denominators being perfect architecture of form, harmonic refinement and skillful orchestration. The opening Sinfonietta in B flat major is a typical example of the composer’s ‘neoclassical’ side. In four movements and with a duration of 25 minutes, it was written in 1948, during Skalkottas’s final years. It is followed by the Suite for Violin and Chamber Orchestra and the Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra, examples of the composer’s atonal idiom. Both works were among the many that disappeared after the composer left Berlin in 1933. The remaining pieces demonstrate Skalkottas’s 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 Greek Dances are Skalkottas’s 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 composer’s refined aesthetic approach. In a labor 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.

Athens Philharmonia Orchestra
Byron Fidetzis, conductor

Byron Fidetzis
was born in Thessaloniki, where he also carried out his studies in Music, at its State Conservatory. He studied cello with Manolis Kazabakas and advanced music theory with Solon Michaelides. He owes a great deal of his musical learnedness to Aristotelion University’s Musical Department Orchestra, which he joined at the age of 15, under Yiannis Mantakas. The most significant learning school of all however, were the 5 five years he spent with the then Northern Greece Symphony Orchestra (1963 – 68). After being awarded a scholarship by the Greek State Scholarships Foundation, he went on to continue his cello studies at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts (with Vladimir Orlof, Andre Navarra and Senta Benes) where he received his diploma (1975). Parallel to this time, he also studied orchestra direction under Hans Swarofsky (at the very same university) where he was also awarded his diploma in orchestra direction (1973- 1977). He was fortunate enough to have great professors in Vienna too, – especially for the theory classes – such as Friedrich Neumann, Erwin Ratz, Alfred Uhl, Friedrich Cerha and Josef Mertin. He also attended various seminars held by conductors such as Miltiades Karydis (Vienna) and Otmar Suitner (Weimar).

He has participated in performances both as a cellist and orchestra director alongside various Greek Symphony Orchestras and foreign music groups. He did so across an extensive number of Greek festivals, such as: the Athens, Corfu, Heraklion and Kalamata Festivals, the “Speech and Art” festival of Lefkas and Ioannina, the Rhodes, Filippon and Ermoupolis festivals, Thessaloniki’s “Demetria” Festival as well as the “Manolis Kalomiris” Festival held on the island of Samos. He has also performed around various parts of the world, including Austria, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Albania, Armenia, Island, Brazil, Portugal, S. Korea, Serbia, Cyprus, Slovakia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Egypt and other places. His main and constant drive during these performances was to showcase Modern Greek musical creativity; examples of these creativity components include: The projection of Kalomiris’s work in Cyprus, Mexico, Russia, China, Japan, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Skalkotas’s works in Russia, Germany, Bulgaria, Italy, Austria, China, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, Iceland, Albania. Samaras’s operas in Russia and Bulgaria; Axiotis’s pieces in Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Portugal and Japan. Evagelatos’s music in China, the Czech Republic, Germany and Bulgaria. Petrides’s works in Bulgaria, Turkey and China. Theodorakis’s songs in Russia, China and Germany, Lialios’s melodies in Turkey and Bulgaria and Tsalahouris’s pieces in Turkey, Bulgaria as well as Romania.

He worked with the Greek National Opera over a long period of years, during which he was appointed permanent conductor (1985 – 1992). From September 1990 to 1992 he acted as the principal conductor of the Yekaterinenburg State Philharmonic Orchestra of the former Soviet Union while in 1992 he was a guest conductor at “Kapela Russia” in Moscow (former orchestra of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Ministry of Culture). He was also a guest conductor for the Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria from 1990- 1999 where he also functioned as the orchestra’s artistic director until 2001. During the period 2000-2005 he was responsible for the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra and its artistic direction. From 1987 onwards he was made permanent conductor for the Athens State Orchestra in conjunction with also taking up the post as artistic director (2004 – 2011). ...

Booklet for Skalkottas: Orchestral Works