Page 50 - 2BOARD 33
P. 50
melody journey
The Music
of the Town
Byron Fidetzis athens always exerted a I was overcome by jealousy when I saw
conductor, cellist special charm on me, αs a photos of my parents with my older brother
and student of young boy in thessaloniki. in front of the Parthenon and the Caryatids.
Greek music and Πάντοτε η Αθήνα ασκούσε πάνω When I was twelve years old I also took
Professor Emeritus μου ξεχωριστή γοητεία, σαν the journey to Attica and in addition to the
of the Athens ημουν παιδακι στην πατριδα family photo at the Acropolis, I kept images
Academy since 2010. μου, τη θεσσαλονικη. from this unique land in my memory. Memories of
μαέστρος, τσελίστας the Theatre of Herod Atticus with Rossini’s “Moses”
και μελετητής της the Odeon of or from the old Zappeion, where I first heard the
ελληνικής μουσικής. Herodes Atticus. Radio Symphony Orchestra, were instrumental in
επίσης, από το 2010 το ωδειο ηρωδου my decision to return to Greece after my studies and
ανακηρύχθηκε settle in the city of Pallas Athena. And yet, leaving
επίτιμος διδάκτωρ της του αττικου. Greece during the years of the dictatorship, the only
Ακαδημίας Αθηνών. thing I could think about was that I never wanted
to return. It was in the Vienna of my student years
50 that I rediscovered my homeland and remembered
Athens again. My passion and ardour for Greek
music had been eating at me since my student
years, something that could only be expressed
and bear fruit in Athens. Besides, ever since I was
young I was more concerned with all things modern
Greece, rather than antiquity. I felt that to be the flesh
of my flesh, the one in need of our care. After all it
was in Athens that, after so many adventures, most
of the greatest Greek composers had lived, the place
where I could find and listen to their works. Figures
such as Manolis Kalomiris, Dimitris Mitropoulos and
Nikos Skalkotas were but mythical to me, and it was
here in Athens that I met their spiritual children,
unique people such as Andreas Nezeritis, Antiohos
Evangelatos, Giannis Konstantinidis, Alekos Xenos,
Konstantinos Kydoniatis, Manos Hatzidakis, Giannis
A. Papaioannou, Dimitris Dragatakis, Giorgos
Sisilianos and many, many more. Of course, I must
say that I had met great Greek musicians back
home too, where in addition to the Master, Solon
Michailidis, I also came in contact with personas
such as Mikis Theodorakis, Theodoros Antoniou,
Nikos Astrinidis, Giorgos Poniridis and Kostas
Nikitas. I referred to Greek composers since I
believe that creating music is the sun around which
the entire essence of music revolves.
But, with regard to Athens, let me say that the
city offered me some additional knowledge and
experience: that of performing Greek music live.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 222
The Music
of the Town
Byron Fidetzis athens always exerted a I was overcome by jealousy when I saw
conductor, cellist special charm on me, αs a photos of my parents with my older brother
and student of young boy in thessaloniki. in front of the Parthenon and the Caryatids.
Greek music and Πάντοτε η Αθήνα ασκούσε πάνω When I was twelve years old I also took
Professor Emeritus μου ξεχωριστή γοητεία, σαν the journey to Attica and in addition to the
of the Athens ημουν παιδακι στην πατριδα family photo at the Acropolis, I kept images
Academy since 2010. μου, τη θεσσαλονικη. from this unique land in my memory. Memories of
μαέστρος, τσελίστας the Theatre of Herod Atticus with Rossini’s “Moses”
και μελετητής της the Odeon of or from the old Zappeion, where I first heard the
ελληνικής μουσικής. Herodes Atticus. Radio Symphony Orchestra, were instrumental in
επίσης, από το 2010 το ωδειο ηρωδου my decision to return to Greece after my studies and
ανακηρύχθηκε settle in the city of Pallas Athena. And yet, leaving
επίτιμος διδάκτωρ της του αττικου. Greece during the years of the dictatorship, the only
Ακαδημίας Αθηνών. thing I could think about was that I never wanted
to return. It was in the Vienna of my student years
50 that I rediscovered my homeland and remembered
Athens again. My passion and ardour for Greek
music had been eating at me since my student
years, something that could only be expressed
and bear fruit in Athens. Besides, ever since I was
young I was more concerned with all things modern
Greece, rather than antiquity. I felt that to be the flesh
of my flesh, the one in need of our care. After all it
was in Athens that, after so many adventures, most
of the greatest Greek composers had lived, the place
where I could find and listen to their works. Figures
such as Manolis Kalomiris, Dimitris Mitropoulos and
Nikos Skalkotas were but mythical to me, and it was
here in Athens that I met their spiritual children,
unique people such as Andreas Nezeritis, Antiohos
Evangelatos, Giannis Konstantinidis, Alekos Xenos,
Konstantinos Kydoniatis, Manos Hatzidakis, Giannis
A. Papaioannou, Dimitris Dragatakis, Giorgos
Sisilianos and many, many more. Of course, I must
say that I had met great Greek musicians back
home too, where in addition to the Master, Solon
Michailidis, I also came in contact with personas
such as Mikis Theodorakis, Theodoros Antoniou,
Nikos Astrinidis, Giorgos Poniridis and Kostas
Nikitas. I referred to Greek composers since I
believe that creating music is the sun around which
the entire essence of music revolves.
But, with regard to Athens, let me say that the
city offered me some additional knowledge and
experience: that of performing Greek music live.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 222
