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Cyprus Artists Series Concert by percussionist Marios Nicolaou
“T
he terraced arrangement of the instru-
ments - vibraphone, marimba, kettledrum,
two tom-toms, three triangles, three cymbals, two
tam-tams, four temple blocks, and four cowbells,
high hat, cymbales antiques - forming a horseshoe
around the player creates a characteristic ‘playing
room’, and ‘interieur’, not only for the player but
also for the composer
…”Lachenmann on Interieur I
The Pharos Arts Foundation opened its 2013 con-
cert programme on 29 January at The Shoe Factory
in Nicosia, with a Cyprus Artists Series Concert by
percussionist Marios Nicolaou. Well known to Cy-
prus audiences for his exciting performances and the
number of world premieres he has given, Marios per-
formed works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Karlheinz
Stockhausen, Iannis Xenakis, Carlos Tanaka, Casey
Cangelosi,WolfgangReifeneder, Carter, SteveReich,
AndreasMoustoukis andVassos Nicolaou.
Aportrait of Marios Nicolaou
Marios Nicolaou was born in Limassol in 1974.
He studied Percussion at theAthens Conservatory
with Dimitris Marinakis, and at the Hochschule
für Musik und Tanz Köln with Christoph Caskel
and Carlos Tarcha, where he graduated with
Auszeichnung. He participated in the Internation-
al Ensemble Modern Academy (Schwaz/Austria)
and won the Alexandra Trianti scholarship from
the Athens Megaron.
In 2000, he appeared as a soloist on the Timpani
with the Cyprus State Orchestra performing the
Concertino for Timpani, Percussion and Strings
by
Andrzej
Panufnik. Recently, he appeared as a solo-
ist with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra in Darius
Milhaud’s
Concerto pour Batterie et petit Orchestre
and in Nikos Skalkottas’
Nocturnal Amusement for
Xylophone and Orchestra
.
Nicolaou has collaborated with ensembles and
conductors such as Péter Eötvös, Denys Bouliane,
Franck Ollu, Kasper De Roo, Theodore Antoniou,
Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, En-
semble Neue Music Köln, Ensemble dissonΑrt,
Chronos Ensemble, and the Greek Composers Un-
ion Ensemble. Since 2009, he is a member of the
Ergon Ensemble.
He was the timpanist of the Ballet Orchestra of
the Greek National Opera, and since 2003, he has
been collaborating with the majority of Greek
orchestras, including Athens State Orchestra,
Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra, Camerata
and Orchestra of Colours. He has also appeared
at Kölner Philharmoniker, Gasteig in Munich,
Athens Megaron, Thessaloniki Megaron, and
Steinway Haus Düsseldorf, and participated in
festivals such as the Klangspuren, Pierre Boulez
zum `75, Minimal Music Kassel, Athens Music
Festival, International Festival Kypria, Avaton
and 4
th
International Pharos Contemporary Mu-
sic Festival. His repertoire is diverse, includ-
ing also works by composers such as Xenakis,
Stockhausen, Bartók, Reich and Lachenmann.
Marios Nicolaou has premiered works by many
notable Cypriot composers.
PROGRAMME
Johann Sebastian Bach:
Prelude in G for marimba
Iannis Xenakis:
Rebonds A
Steve Reich:
Piano phase
Casey Cangelosi:
Meditation I no 1 for snare drum
Andreas Moustoukis:
Microphobia for vibraphone
and electronics
Karheinz Stockhausen:
Zyklus
Interval
Toshimitsu Tanaka:
Two movements for Marimba
Wolfgang Reifeneder:
Crossover for snare drum
Eliot Carter:
March & Improvisation from Eight
pieces for four Timpani
Vassos Nicolaou:
Recent 0010 for percussion and
electronics
Iannis Xenakis:
Rebonds B