RECITAL 1
Orestes Magou
Thursday, November 07, 2024 | 8:00 p.m.
Municipal Theater of Strovolos
Programme
- Haydn: Sonata in E flat major, Hob. XVI:49
- Beethoven: Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109
- Liszt: Sonata in B minor, S. 178
PIANOFEST3 is inaugurated by the pianist Orestis Magou, whose appearance also marks his professional debut in a solo recital in Cyprus. Orestis is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire Birmingham and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, having won scholarships to both institutions. Along with his studies, Orestis has received various awards, such as 1st prize in the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra concerto competition, 1st prize in the Dennis Matthew memorial competition, while he was the recipient of the Miss Bowen Challenge Cup and the Sheila and Colina Hodge Memorial Prize for the best violin-piano duet. He has performed with the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra and the Birmingham Conservatoire Projects Orchestra, and has already given concerts in the UK, Italy, Cyprus, Hungary and Romania.
Orestes begins his program with Haydn’s elegant and humorous Sonata in E flat major, whose lively first movement is contrasted with a lyrical Attaggio and a final and playful Minuet-style Finale.
The pianist then introduces the listener to Beethoven’s world and invites us to delve into the late Sonata no. 30, a work rich in combinations of lyrical and dynamic contrasts.
The recital concludes with Liszt’s monumental, and unique, Sonata in B minor, S. 178, a one-part masterpiece known for its dramatic alternations, virtuoso passages and detailed thematic transformation, which highlights the composer’s innovative approach to form and his piano virtuosity.
Orestis Magou inaugurates PIANOFEST3, with a recital that marks the artist’s professional solo debut in Cyprus. Orestis graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Birmingham and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, having won scholarships for both institutions. Alongside his studies, Orestis has received various distinctions, such as the First Prize in the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition, the First Prize in the Dennis Matthew Memorial Competition, and was the recipient of the Miss Bowen Challenge Cup and the Sheila and Colina Hodge Memorial Prize for the best violin-piano duo. He has performed with the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra and the Birmingham Conservatoire Projects Orchestra and has given concerts in the United Kingdom, Italy, Cyprus, Hungary, and Romania.
The program begins with Haydn’s elegant and humor-filled Sonata in E-flat major, whose lively first movement contrasts with a lyrical Andante and a playful finale in the style of a minuet.
Following this, the pianist transports his audience into the world of Beethoven, inviting us to immerse ourselves in the deep emotional realm that characterizes Sonata No. 30, a work rich in lyrical and dynamic contrasts.
The recital concludes with the monumental and unique Sonata in B Minor by Liszt, S. 178, a single-movement masterpiece known for its dramatic shifts, virtuosic passages, and detailed thematic transformation, highlighting Liszt’s innovative approach to form and pianistic prowess.
RECITAL 2
Nicolas Costantinou
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | 8:00 p.m.
Municipal Theater of Strovolos
Programme
- Beethoven: Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2
- Beethoven: Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101
- Schubert: Sonata No. 20 in A major, D959
Nicolas Constantinou, honoured with the title of Steinway Artist, impresses audiences with his bold repertoire choices and performances with unusual musical ensembles. Praised as an “artist of profound emotions” (Kaleva), his interpretations have been described as “colossal” and “dramatic” (D. Nicolau). He has performed in Europe and the USA at venues like Wigmore Hall, Musikverein, and Beethoven-Haus. He has appeared at international festivals such as Kuhmo and Oulunsalo Soi. In 2023, he released three albums with Odradek: metavasis, Past Forward, and Hedra. In 2018, he participated in the concert ‘Music with the Masters’ and presented the recital ‘An Evening with Chopin.’ He also performed the complete works of Beethoven for violin and piano (2013-14) and cello and piano (2015-16) with Nikos Pittas and Péter Somodari.
The pianist invites us to a unique musical experience in A major, exploring human existence. This journey begins with Beethoven’s early Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2, imbued with characteristic youthful vitality and energy, with a mood that is pleasant, carefree, and humorous, as elements of tenderness and love permeate the work.
In contrast, Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101, is one of the first works of the composer’s late period, written after an extended pause from composing serious works due to various personal circumstances. In this work, the composer returns with renewed energy and optimism, filtered through the prism of a now mature individual and artist. The pleasant mood, humour, tenderness, and love prevail again, but in a pioneering dimension of artistic expression.
Finally, the recital concludes with Schubert’s Sonata No. 20 in A major, D959, the second of three sonatas composed by the thirty-one-year-old composer in September 1828, just two months before his death. Here we see a composer defying death (he had been suffering from syphilis since 1823) and dedicating himself to composing works at an unrelenting pace. The Sonata in A major embraces the full spectrum of human emotions, radiating an extraordinary sense of love and gratitude, all through his characteristic melodic sensitivity.
RECITAL 3
Rami Sarieddine
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 | 8:00 p.m.
Municipal Theater of Strovolos
Programme
- Haydn: Variations in F minor, Hob. XVII:6
- Ravel: Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn
- Dukas: Prelude élégiaque sur le nom de Haydn
- Debussy: Hommage à Haydn
- Kirchner: Five pieces for piano
- Papageorgiou, G.: Rain of Tears
- Schubert/Liszt: Ständchen, Frühlingslaube, Auf dem Wasser zu singen, Gretchen am Spinnrade, Du bist die Ruh
Rami Sarieddine is an internationally recognized pianist with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. He has also studied at the New England Conservatory and the Royal Academy of Music in London, earning undergraduate and graduate degrees. He has held positions such as Head Piano Fellow at Bard College’s Conservatory of Music in New York. He has taught in Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi, New York City, and at the Central Conservatory in Beijing. Currently, he is a piano instructor at the Potenzia Del’Arte in Nicosia. In 2019, he co-founded the duo+ Chimera and performs recitals worldwide, known for interpreting contemporary composers and collaborating with esteemed artists like Steve Reich and Frederic Rzewski.
Mr. Sariendin presents a diverse programme covering works from the Classical period to the present day. The recital begins with Haydn’s famous Variations in F minor, which the composer called a sonata ‘Un piccolo divertimento’. This may be because he intended them as a movement in a larger work, or perhaps because they were substantial enough on their own. Next, the artist takes us back to 1909, inviting us to experience the musical scene of Paris. This year marked the centenary of the death of the Austrian composer. For this occasion, Jules Écorcheville, the publisher of the Société Internationale de Musique, issued a call to French composers to write a piece using the composer’s name as the central motif, which he translated into the notes B, A, D, D, G. Of the six composers who responded to the publisher’s request, the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy three of these works.
Following this, we have the work of American composer Leon Kirchner, Five Pieces for Piano (1987), which form a continuous cycle. Kirchner is known as an ardent modernist and a volatile romantic, a composer whose sophisticated awareness of the past informs a restless search for authenticity. Next, Rami will present a piece by Cypriot composer Giorgos Papageorgiou titled “Rain of Tears,” from the collection Melancholy Fields. This work is imbued with a romantic yet melancholic mood, through which the composer listens to the world and explores the uncertain future of humanity. As a conclusion, the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy five virtuosic transcriptions by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt of some of Schubert’s most popular songs.
RECITAL 4
Eleni Mavromoustaki
Thusday, November 28, 2024 | 8:00 p.m.
Municipal Theater of Strovolos
Programme
- Rameau: Suite in G minor, RCT 6
- Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D899, Nos. 2 & 4
- Schubert: Marche militaire in D major, D733/1
- Janáček: Piano Sonata ‘1. X. 1905, from the street’
- Schumann: Kreisleriana, Op. 16
- Special guest: Orpheus Tristan Kerr
PIANOFEST3 concludes with the recital of Eleni Mavromoustaki, who is described as a highly accomplished pianist with determination and outstanding expression. Eleni has performed in prominent venues worldwide, such as the Athens Concert Hall, the Rialto Theatre in Cyprus, and the Seoul Concert Hall. She has collaborated with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, and the Scottish Ensemble. Her studies at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Scottish Conservatoire were accompanied by awards in competitions such as the Maria Callas Grand Prix and the International Mozart Competition. She resides in London, where she enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher, and children’s yoga instructor. She is the artistic advisor of Cyprus Music Makers and frequently collaborates with her sister Victoria and the Isolde Piano Trio.
The recital begins with the Suite in G Minor by the harpsichordist Jean-Philippe Rameau, one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century. After Jean-Baptiste Lully, he is considered the leading composer of French opera, and his music for the harpsichord is regarded as comparable to that of his contemporary François Couperin. The Suite in G consists almost entirely of character pieces rather than conventional dance movements from various nationalities, as was customary. The listeners are invited to use their imagination to discover how musical sound can evoke the rapid and nimble movement of hands engaged in weaving, represent a musical portrait of a hen, two Huron Indians, or even the mystery of an Egyptian gypsy.
Following, are two works by Franz Schubert, dating from 1827: the masterful Impromptu in E-flat Major with its dramatic middle section, and the melancholic Impromptu in A-flat Major with a lyrical middle section from the composer’s first set of four Impromptus. At this point, the artist will invite the ten-year-old Orpheus Tristan Kerr to the stage, with whom she will perform the famous Military March in D Major for four hands.
Continuing the programme is the remarkable work “1. X. 1905 From the Street” by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček, often referred to as a sonata. The piece is inspired by the death of a 20-year-old apprentice carpenter, František Pavlík, which occurred because of the police and military dispersing a gathering that supported the Czech population of Brno’s request for the establishment of a Czech university in this bilingual city.
Ms. Mavromoustaki concludes her recital with the magnificent Kreisleriana by Robert Schumann. This work draws its primary literary inspiration from the writings of Jean Paul (1763-1825) and E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776-1822), where the boundaries between reality and fantasy, the ordinary and the absurd, often blur. Kreisleriana combines elements of fiction and autobiography. The title refers to Schumann’s fascination with the character Johannes Kreisler, a fictional pianist from Hoffmann’s stories, who represents the ideal Romantic composer in Schumann’s eyes.
TICKETS
General admission ticket: €45
Full-price: €15 | Concessions*: €10
www.soldoutticketbox.com & Stephanis stores
* LMS members, pensioners, pupils and students with ID, military
Important notice: We encourage the public to purchase their tickets in advance, as seats are limited and numbered. Alternatively, on the night of the performance, the audience may purchase from the theater box office any tickets that remain available or be refunded.
INFO
99744227 | info@ledramusic.org | www.ledramusic.org