Gourzi, Konstantia

Konstantia Gourzi – nine lullabies for a new world for solo violin (first print)

Konstantia Gourzi
(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

All nine miniatures are snapshots of a certain mood. It does not correspond to the character of major or minor modes, but to a distant remembrance of chants from a fantasy world. Composing these pieces was like painting colourfully over the first Bach suite on transparent paper.

The original version was composed for viola (op. 49) for the soloist Nils Mönkemeyer. The initial idea was to create a piece that would function as a sound bridge between two Bach suites. Nevertheless, it can also be performed in other program concept.

The version for viola solo is recorded by Nils Mönkemeyer for Sony Classical for the CD “Bach und Mehr”.

Konstantia Gourzi – A biographical essay > READ