Koumendakis' music synthesizes modal Mediterranean music, Byzantine psalms, Balkan traditions, and Baroque polyphony, with each element remaining recognizable yet transformed.
Composition History
The central work on this album, "Mediterranean Desert," is a piano cycle of 22 pieces inspired by Mediterranean flora and fauna, reflecting the composer's direct observation of nature.
Compositional Technique
Koumendakis' pianistic language combines impressionistic, minimalist, and neo-baroque styles, with some pieces originally written for harpsichord.
Composer Biography
Giorgos Koumendakis served as the musical director, composer, and author of the musical concept for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Performer Biography
Stéphanos Thomopoulos, the Franco-Greek pianist on this album, was the first pianist in France to earn a Doctorate of Performance at the Paris Conservatoire.
Compositional Technique
The composer's connection to the Mediterranean is evident in his use of the 'ison,' a tonic pedal found in both Greek musical tradition and Byzantine psalmody.
Composer Biography
Giorgos Koumendakis, born in 1959 in Rethymno, Crete, is considered one of Greece's most gifted and versatile composers, focusing heavily on music for the performing arts.
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