Manos Hadjidakis ensemble
The Manos Hadjidakis ensemble was created in September 2009 by students, teachers and graduates of the Music School of Thessaloniki who are united by their love for the composer in order to reconstruct his image through known and unknown aspects of his work.
He has given concerts at the M.S.Th. Theatre “… san prosefchi” in February 2010 and “Sinomosia sto fos ton asterion” in February 2011 with the participation of Andreas Karakotas, at the Society for Macedonian Studies of Thessaloniki, at the Aneton Theatre in the framework of the “Demetria in Schools” Festival (2010), at the Music School of Serres, at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall (“Musicircus – Open Air” 2011), in the city of Drama (as part of the Short Film Festival) and at the Stanislas College in Delft, the Netherlands.
During the year 2010-2011 the ensemble “Manos Hadjidakis” participated in the cultural program entitled “The timeless Manos Hadjidakis” (music teachers: Evangelia Mitsopoulou, Natalia Achalakatssi, Olia Tavlaridou, Georgia Tenta). She dealt with the work and written texts of M. Hadjidakis, while she also held meetings with the composers Nikos Christodoulou and Nikos Kypourgos, who were close collaborators of M. Hadjidakis in the past.
Manos Hadjidakis “Dedication” (2011)
Manos Hadjidakis “Richno tin kardia mou sto pigadil” (2011)
Manos Hadjidakis “Marianthi ton anemon” (2011)
“Once upon a time, this sphere called earth, which turns without end or beginning, had no cities, no schools, no buses and quarries, no houses, no roads, no trains and sewers, and yet it still had people. Well, then what did it have? Tell us all about it from the beginning, without hiding a single pimple…”
With these words begins the music fairy tale “The assembly of animals” presented by the ensemble “Manos Hadjidakis” during the school year 2011 – 2012. The music was written by Giorgos Kouroupos. The text is by Pericles Korovesis and the orchestration by Kostas Kritsotakis.
The students, graduates and teachers of the Thessaloniki Music School participated in the performance: Theodoros Papadimitriou (conductor), Timos Anastasiadis and Dimitris Mandrinos (first violin), Antonia Kardamaki, Alexandros Chouros and Natalia Achalkatsi (second violin), Yannis Tacolas and Stella Tembrelli (cello), Minas Vakaloudis (double bass), Michalis Trahalios and Elisavet Kafetzi (flute), Christos Koutsouris (oboe), Anastasia Mantza (clarinet), Vangelis Mendesopoulos (trumpet), Patty Kubli (percussion), Stefanos Gazilas (percussion), Rena Mavrou (piano), Georgia Tenta (performance), Maria Zafeiriadou (lights).
The event, in which the composer was present, took place on Saturday 28 April 2012, at the school’s theatre, as part of the cycle of events “Musical Ensembles of M.S.TH.” on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the M.S.Th.
Video
Giorgos Kouroupos “The assembly of animals” (recording 2013)
The Ensemble “Manos Hadjidakis” in collaboration with the Redicolo Puppet Theatre presented “The Assembly of Animals” by George Kouroupos at the 14th International Puppet Theatre Festival of the Pantolemies of Kilkis, at the Conference Centre of Kilkis, on 30/9/2012. The Redicolo Puppet Company consists of Despina Kalpenidou and Yannis Momtsios.
“Exercises in style” ensemble
“On a bus of the S line. Crowding. A guy about twenty-six, soft hat with a braid in place of the ribbon, very long neck as if he had been pulled. People coming down. The man he’s talking about grabs a guy next to him. He accuses him of pushing him every time someone wants to pass. Tone of a whiny, whiny man with a bad temper. As soon as he sees a seat free, he runs and sits down. Two hours later, I see him again in Cour de Rome, in front of St. Lazare station. He’s with a friend who says to him: “You need to sew another button on your coat.” He shows him where (on the lapel) and why.”
Raymond Keno’s book “Exercises in Style”, from which the above excerpt is taken, was the trigger for the creation of a workshop of musical and theatrical improvisation by the ensemble “Manos Hadjidakis”.
During the school year 2011 – 2012, the students Stefanos Gazilas, Christos Koutsouris, Elena Kostaropoulou, Iliana Spyraki and the teachers Olia Tavlaridou and Georgia Tenta experimented on different versions of the same text, resulting in its presentation to the public on 28/4/12, at an event at the Music School of Thessaloniki.
In the year 2012-2013, the workshop “Exercises in style, improvisation in art” continues its activity, this time with more members. To see the blog of the project click here.
Ensemble leaders: Natalia Achalkatssi, Olia Tavlaridou, Georgia Tenta
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