IDAGIO | Skalkottas: Suite for Violin and Piano, The Return of Odysseus & Greek Dances - World Premiere Recordings 1949-2019 3770004972371

Featuring

Nikolaos Samaltanos
Nina Pissareva Zymbalist
Angelica Cathariou
Christophe Sirodeau
Gregory Millar
Tota Economos

Little Symphony Orchestra of San Francisco
Nikos Skalkottas

Did you know?

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Recording & Production

The recording of the Twelve Greek Dances by the Little Symphony Orchestra of San Francisco from 1957 is published here for the first time in stereophonic sound.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Skalkottas was not a slave to Schoenberg's ideas, viewing serial techniques as a means of expression rather than pursuing novelty for its own sake.

Historical Context

In 1933, Skalkottas left Berlin to escape the growing power of the Nazi party, leaving behind about 70 compositions, most of which are now lost.

Composer Biography

Nikos Skalkottas, a gold medalist of the Athens Conservatoire, was compelled to work as a violinist in the last row of Athenian orchestras due to a lack of appreciation for his music.

Composition History

The Suite for violin and little orchestra 'Kleine Suite' AK 23, written in 1929, was rediscovered in 2010 by Greek musicologist Yannis Tselikas in the archives of Buffalo University.

Recording & Production

This album features the first known recording ever made of a work by Skalkottas: Tota Economos's 1949 French Radio recording of Sifneikos and Ipirotikos.

Composition History

The orchestral overture The Return of Odysseus was conceived as an introduction to an opera that was never written, according to pianist and musicologist John G. Papaioannou.