Anneleen Lenaerts, Harp - Kosma Ranuer Kroon, Baritone -

Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra - Ektoras Tartanis, Conductor

PAIN and EROS - Symphonic Works by Theodorakis and Tartanis
- On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mikis Thedorakis -

Almost 70 years after its premiere in Athens, we are witnessing the German premiere of Mikis Theodorakis' Symphony No. 1. This expressive composition by the Greek composer, writer and politician has no predetermined programme, but both the dramatic genesis and the boiling sounds of this composition reveal the suffering, hope and desire for freedom that the 25-year-old composer felt when he wrote this work on the prison island of Makronisos. Like hardly any other composer, he was at home and active in a wide variety of musical genres, he knew how to capture a wide variety of human states of mind in sound. Written during the Greek Civil War, this work stands out both for its unique genesis and for its individual musical language. None of Theodorakis' other works exhibits such a striking aesthetic as his first symphony.

The conductor and composer Ektoras Tartanis was initiated into this masterpiece by Mikis Theodorakis himself, who said of his young colleague when he saw him conducting:

“It seems to me that I wrote this symphony for this young man.”

This is contrasted by Ektoras Tartanis' own symphonic debut work “Erato Psaltrian” for baritone, harp and orchestra. The theme of this work is thus the muse “Erato”, who bears the epithet “Psaltrian” – “the singer”, and represents Eros. Also held in three movements, entitled “Birth”, “Journey” and “Celebration”, this symphonic concerto for harp and voice gets to the bottom of the quintessence of the qualities of this muse; with lyrical, Greek texts written by the composer himself and the philosopher and poet Anastasis Asimakopoulos. Tartanis introduces us to the world of Greek mythology, the tradition of Byzantine chant and at the same time to contemporary sound worlds.
The piece was written for Anneleen Lenaerts, principal harpist of the Vienna Philharmonic, who will perform the work together with the world-renowned Swedish baritone Kosma Ranuer Kroon. Both works will be performed by the Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra (Theatre Freiburg) under the direction of Ektoras Tartanis.
[Extract of the CD booklet / incl. photos, further info about composers, artists and the works]

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