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9
War
(from
The Planets
), and Krzystof Penderecki
(1933- ),
Lacrimosa
(Soprano solo: Margarita Elia).
The second part of the concert includedBeethoven’s
9
th
Symphony in Dminor, op. 125 (“Choral”)
.
The Programme
Gustav Holst (1874-1934):
Mars, The Bringer of
War
(from
The Planets
).
The Planets
, a suite for large orchestra with seven
parts, each dedicated to one of the planets, is the best
known and most popular work of English composer
Gustav Holst. Written between 1914 and 1916, it
begins with quiet march rhythms in the uncommon
measure of 5/4 and threatening motifs in the wind;
the composer builds enormous, terrifying climaxes.
Krzystof Penderecki (1933- ):
Lacrimosa
.
Polish composer Krzystof Penderecki is one of the
most important musical figures of our age. He wrote
Lacrimosa
in 1980 for the unveiling in Gdansk, Po-
land, of a memorial to the victims of the brutal sup-
pression of anti-government riots in 1970. The work
was later included in his
Polish Requiem
, which is
dedicated to the heroes and victims of wars through-
out Polish history.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827):
Symphony no.
9 in Dminor, op. 125 (“Choral”)
Beethoven’s 9
th
Symphony, completed in 1824, has
become a key point in musical history, and not only
because of its universally familiar choral part. In his
last creative period, the composer abandoned the
sharp contrasts typical of hismiddle period. In the 9
th
Symphony, drama dissolves into lyricism and canta-
bile melody, with its variations constantly acquiring
greater significance. Trulymajestic fromevery point
of view is the first movement, in which Beethoven
makes a giant leap from his previous symphonies.
Through his combination of a multitude of related
motifs and a highly differentiated use of the orches-
tra, Beethovencreatedmusicof previouslyunknown
texture and rhythmic and structural complexity. For
the last choral movement, Beethoven sets Friedrich
Schiller’s (1759-1805)
Ode to Joy
, a poem original-
ly written in 1785 for a plaque in aMasonic lodge in
Dresden, tomusic. The text is a hymn to the brother-
hood of mankind under a heavenly God. Beethoven
brings both universal dimensions and deep mysti-
cism to Schiller’s text. The thematic first stanza was
adopted in 1972 as the EuropeanAnthem.
TheArtists
Ayis Ioannides – Artistic Director and Conductor
Ayis Ioannides has conducted a wide spectrum of
musical genres and has received tremendous critical
acclaim around the world, both as a conductor and
as a composer. He was a conductor at various Ger-
man opera houses for 10 years. He has been Chief
Conductor of the Vaasa City Orchestra in Finland
and the firstArtistic Director of the Cyprus State Or-
chestra. He has also been a guest conductor in many
European countries, as well as in Australia, Egypt
and the USA.
After first obtaining his doctorate in neurophysiol-
ogy, Ioannides studied in London at the Guildhall
School of Music and Drama and at the National
Opera Studio, and he participated in master classes
inAustria, the Netherlands andGermany. Especially
important was the experience he gained under the
maestros George Hurst, VilemTausky, Helmut Rill-
ing and Sergiu Celibidache. His compositional ac-
tivity developed especially in the late 90’s, and some
of his works have been performed in Cyprus, Egypt,
Austria, France (International Pablo Casals Festi-
val), Germany, Finland, Sweden and the USA.
Ayis Ioannides