A new recording by the Athens State Orchestra – Yorgo Sicilianos

The Athens State Orchestra, the oldest symphonic ensemble in Greece, pays tribute on its new GENUIN release to one of the country’s most significant 20th-century composers: Yorgo Sicilianos. The program presents large-scale, dramatically charged orchestral works spanning three decades: Sicilianos’ Symphony No. 2, dedicated to the memory of the great Dmitri Mitropoulos; “Antiphona” for brass, strings, and timpani; and the symphonic poem “Daimon”, inspired by Thomas Mann’s seminal novel “Dr. Faustus”. With Ilias Voudouris – a central figure in Greek musical life – on the podium, the orchestra brings Sicilianos’ colorful and intricately crafted sound world vividly to life, with passion and striking attention to detail.

Listen to the CD, available at Genuin Classics website.

Programme:

Yorgo Sicilianos (1920–2005)
Daimon. Symphonic Fantasy, Op. 50
I. Lento assai
II. Piu mosso
III. Allegro vivo
IV. Tempo del inizio
V. Alla breve
VI. Allegro molto, con furia
VII. Adagio

Yorgo Sicilianos
Symphony No. 2 , Op. 58 "To the memory of Dimitri Mitropoulos"
I. Allegro deciso
II. Intermezzo Allegretto
III. Adagio
IV. Finale Allegro vivace

Yorgo Sicilianos
Antiphona for Brass, Timpani and Strings, Op. 40
I.
II.
III.

The disc was recorded at the Athens Megaron Concert Hall under the artistic direction of Holger Busse and is available in physical format (CD), as well as on all digital streaming platforms. By this release, the Athens State Orchestra continues its collaboration with GENUIN classics based in Leipzig, one of the most renowned independent labels in the field of classical music.
This collaboration is particularly important to the promotion of the Greek symphonic repertoire internationally, as it introduces the work of Greek composers to a worldwide distribution, critical assessment and artistic discussion network. Thus, Greek classical music becomes strongly present within the international discography, reinforcing its position in the contemporary musical field and contributing to the formation of an extrovertive, dynamic cultural identity.
The recording repertoire comprises three among the composer’s key symphonic works: Daimon symphonic Fantasy (op. 50) was concluded in 1985 and inspired by Thomas Mann’s famous novel Dr. Faustus. Symphony no. 2 (op. 58), to the memory of Dimitri Mitropoulos was composed in Spring 1997 and comprises four extent, contrastive moves. Antiphona is the oldest among the three works, composed in 1976 for an original combination of brass, timpani and strings. It was performed for the first time by the Athens State orchestra and by the Gewandhaus Orchestra, Leipzig in 1984, conducted by Kurt Masur.

Listen to the album, already available at Genuin Classics.