Gourzi, Konstantia

Gourzi, Konstantia

Aiolos Wind – six piano pieces, op. 41

(born in Athens/Greece, 31 March 1962)

Konstantia Gourzi’s name often appears as composer as well as conductor in the announcements of her concerts. Her portfolio of compositions includes not only operas, film music and works for music theatre and orchestra, but also numerous solo pieces and chamber music. Konstantia Gourzi’s musical work is documented in detail through radio recordings, television broadcasts and live streams. Recordings of her extensive discography were released at ECM, NEOS, NAXOS and SONY Classical.

Composer’s notes  

In the Greek mythology, Aiolos (or Aeolus) was the King of the winds who kept the stormy Anemoi Thuellai locked up inside the hollow heart of the floating island of Aiolia. Homer’s wind-god Aiolos bears quite a few similarities to Hesiod’s Ouranos. Both are described as having six sons and daughters, and both trapped the storm-winds behind a threshold of bronze.
The composition Aiolos Wind is like a sketch, a kind of a personal diary inspired from the Greek mythology. It consists of six miniatures that are both question and answer, beginning and end. The six pieces are dedicated to six different persons who have inspired me and who played an important role at certain periods of my life. Their energy has been with me for a long time and still is.
Every piece contains a special tone or action: Hommage à Helmut Lachenmann is an acoustic parody of the piano. More than the others, Hommage à György Kurtág recalls a complete small composition. In Hommage à Peter Raue the focus is on rhythm and accents, the tune in Hommage à Claudio Abbado shows extreme sensibility and refinement, performed by the strings of the piano. Hommage à Daniel Barenboim treats a “romantic” emphasis, while Hommage à Dieter Rexroth is airy, somewhat jazzy and full of rhythm.

Konstantia Gourzi – A biographical essay > READ

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