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News & Reviews
Review of La Traviata and Carmina Burana The Impact of Peter Tiboris The Greek-American conductor Peter Tiboris is the founder and general director of the company MidAmerica Productions, the orchestras Manhattan Philharmonic and Pan-European Philharmonia, and the International Festival of the Aegean. The latest is an annual event, which takes place in Syros, Greece, every summer offering the opportunity to visitors and inhabitants of the island to enjoy music, theater and dance performances. While the audience of the Festival has grown through the years, this time we were also amongst the ones who had the pleasure of attending two of its many activities in two different spaces in the city of Hermoupolis. La Traviata With the right sense for style, and with a distinctive knowledge and respect to the needs of the singing voice, Mr. Tiboris presented us with a fully dramatic, lyric and sensitive performance of Verdi’s melodrama. Under his guidance, the Pan-European Philharmonia Orchestra, the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus and the University of Georgia Opera Ensemble, rendered brilliantly their parts. The same can also be said for the majority of the soloists. More specifically, Natalia Ushakova (Traviata) sang her part with a full voice, constantly exploring the emotional world of the famous heroine. Her performance was full of emotional tension, delivering the most fragile side of Violetta’s character. Israel Lozano (Alfredo) had many good moments…. Frederick Burchinal (Giorgio Germont) was really convincing as the father of the hero, unraveling with his deep voice the worries and concerns of his character. The secondary roles were well delivered by Marissia Papalexiou (Flora Bervoix), Josephine Delledera (Annina), Joseph Brent (Gastone), Brent Davis (Barone Douphol), Benjamin Dawkins (Marchese D’Obigny) and Richard Block (Dottor Grenvil). The gifted and internationally known choreographer Renato Zanella, who has recently been appointed Ballet Director of the National Opera (Greece), was responsible for the stage direction, using smartly the small stage of the theater and setting (as were to be expect ed) in lively dancing motion both singers and chorus. The set was clean cut and the costumes elegant. Carmina Burana Mr. Tiboris led effectively the American choirs (Taghkanic Chorale, Durango Choral Society, Sardis Presbyterian Church Sanctuary Choir, The Knox Choir of Presbyterian Church, Warwick Valley Chorale, Brevard Community College, Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, Nova Voce). The Maestro managed to project the epic as well as the erotic tone of the score. The choirs performed vividly while as far as the soloists are concerned, Myrsini Margariti stood out, impressing us with her fresh voice, clean technique, tonic accuracy, and impeccable high notes in the parts “Siqua sine soclo”, “Stetit puella”, “In trutina”, and “Dulcissime”. The baritone Frederick Burchinal, who had fascinated us with his performance as Giorgio Germont on the previous evening, had many strong moments in expression… The concert was concluded with excerpts from the Suite by Mikis Theodorakis, Zorba, performed cheerfully and passionately by Mr. Tiboris and the orchestra. The excited applause of the audience in the end of the concert was well deserved.”
Review of Medea's Choice Euripides, Theodorakis, Zanella “Medea” – Another ballet that was an opera. Which in turn originated in Euripides’ tragedy which our national composer Mikis made into an opera (or tragedy with music) in 1988-89 with the simple title: Medea. And now, Renato Zanella, the new director of the Lyriki Skini Ballet and veteran of the Apollo Theater in Hermoupolis, Syros, converted it into a ballet entitled “Medea’s choice”. This is not the first time that the myth of Medea inspired choreographers: Jean Georges Nover in 1763 (Medea and Jason); and more recently Birgit Cullberg in 1950 with Béjart as Jason, music by Bartok and Graham with the “Abyss of soul” for four dancers and music by Barber in 1947. The same piece, scored for large orchestra was choreographed by Rallou Manou in 1958, following Euripides. Towards the end of the 80s Lia Meletopoulou created (with S. Koundouros) a solo video-dance inspired by Medea’s country of origin, the Dervishes, and the Noh theater. I am impressed by the international collaboration in this world premiere that took place in that jewel of a theater “Apollon” which is beautifully restored. There was even air conditioning! We wish there was a snack bar too ! The artists; the composer of course; the diva of the Athens Opera House Ballet Maria Kousouni-Fika; and Angeliki Sigourou choreographing the 11 strong “Akropoditi” local dance troupe. Also, The Athens Opera House Ballet star Danilo Zeka, whose origins are from Albania; plus six more dancers and artists from different countries, counting the dancers as well as those behind the scenes; obviously Renato Zanella (from the State Opera of Vienna and State Ballet of Berlin) who did the choreography and scenery and costumes; as well as the light designer who was Italian too. Myrto Belopoulou is Greek and she was responsible for the costumes. Under the guidance of Renato of course.
Article on Festival of the Aegean As the administrative and cultural center of the Cyclades, Syros is a rich yet modest island that hosts the textile and shipbuilding industries that serve the other islands in the archipelago. Surrounding the harbor, the lively square of Hermoupolis—which includes the neoclassical city hall, the archeological museum, and behind it the Apollo Theater—hosts festival guests every summer. The harbor has luxurious ships; their Greek owners pick this city to build their villas decorated with frescos. Even though the island is not a popular tourist destination, it has elegant architecture and a quiet atmosphere, which makes it worth including in holiday plans. The Apollo Theater was one of the first opera houses in Greece. It was built by Italians in 1864, and Rigoletto was the first opera performed on its stage. The stage is 18 meters wide and 9 meters deep, and more than 1,000 concerts and operas have been performed on it. The Apollo Theater is often called “a small copy of Milan’s La Scala” with a capacity of 400 seats. Despite the damage it received during the Second World War, the theater was in service for some time, but it was eventually left abandoned until restorations took place between 1980 and 2000. Peter Tiboris, General and Artistic Director of the International Festival of the Aegean is happy with the outcome of the festival, now in its seventh season. Tiboris has announced that Rigoletto will be performed again in the celebrations for the theater’s150th anniversary, which will take place in 2014. One of the festival’s traditions is holding a performance of one masterpiece every year, so this year there were La Traviata banners everywhere. La Traviata was the pearl of the Festival on the July 12, 14, and 16, when it was performed by the Pan-European Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by maestro Tiboris and sung by artists from the state operas of Vienna and Greece. Rehearsals lasted a week. On top of the rehearsals, the artists participated in workshops with students all week…The highlights of the evening were soprano Natalia Ushakova from Vienna State Opera, who gave a superior performance with her impressive voice and theatrical talent as Violetta, and Frederick Burchinal as Giorgio Germont…. “I Owe All to Leyla Gencer” “After the performance, I had an opportunity to talk with Natalia Ushakova, who emphasized her admiration for Leyla Gencer. “Everyday we were only working on Violetta for four hours. Gencer was an impressive woman! She was always envied by Callas and was pressured… All the praises I am receiving are thanks to Gencer. I owe it all to Leyla Gencer!” The events did not only take place at the Apollo Theater. Sunset concerts were held in the St. Nicholas Church, which is at the peak of the island, and open air concerts were held on a platform built in front of the city hall in Hermoupolis square. On July 17, a choir and an orchestra of more than 500 artists performed Carmina Burana for a large audience. Also, every year workshops about opera and ballet are organized. “Greek Opera Studio,” held for the second year, conducted a comprehensive seminar with 15 artist-tutors, (including some artists from La Traviata), and 20 opera students… Organization was impressive; I can say the team’s work was almost flawless. Every year thousands of people visit the island to participate in the festival. Hotel reservations are made weeks in advance, and tickets are sold out quickly. There is a loyal audience of visitors who arrange their holiday plans around this festival. Even though Syros Island is not one of the heavily visited Greek islands, such as Mykonos and Santorini, Hermoupolis can be called the “cultural capital of Cyclades.”…. Irek Mukhamedov has been replaced by Renato Zanella as the head of National Greek Ballet; of Theodorakis’ Medea transformed into contemporary ballet Renato Zanella introduced ballet to the stage of the Apollo Theater. Zanella, who joined the Stuttgart Ballet as a dancer and became a choreographer a short time later, has been known since 1995 for his solo works with dancers such as Vladimir Malakhov, Manuel Legris, Roberto Bolle, Nicolas le Riche, and Polina Semionava, when he was working as a ballet director in State Opera of Vienna. Zanella, who was chosen as “choreographer of the year” for several years, was invited by Tiboris to be the dance director of the festival. Since then, he has added impressive performances of famous ballets into the festival. This year, Zanella presented an impressive staging of a contemporary ballet version of Medea. The world premiere of “Medea’s Choice” took place at the Apollo Theater on the July 23, in the presence of Theodorakis. With his magical combinations and fascinating setups, Zanella’s work has very original elements. And the six dancers who combined their technical superiority with their roles are taking Zanella’s creativity to the peak. Theodorakis talked about transforming Medea into a ballet: “Zanella adopted Euripides’ work and my Medea opera with a superior tragic element and a fascinating choreography, allowing the tragic elements within my music to be seen in the choreography.” The Greek dancer Marina Kousouni, who performed Medea, is an impressive talent with strong technique and elegant aesthetics. After working for the State Ballet of Vienna, she joined the Hamburg Ballet on the invitation of John Neumeier, and has been working as the lead dancer for the State Ballet of Greece since 2006. She said about Zanella, “It was so much fun to work with him; he is a very creative Ballet master. I am so happy he will be joining the Greek Ballet.” Zanella staged three acts between the 22nd-24th of July, and received audience’s admiration with the “Choice of Medea.” We interviewed Zanella about the Aegean Festival and his new projects. With its growing success, the Festival of the Aegean has become richer now that you are participating. I am really proud to be dance director and choreographer of the Festival of the Aegean, which I participated in upon Tiboris’ invitation. Ballet had never before been performed on the impressive stage of the Apollo Theater. Over the past few years, several pas de deux and solo performances were staged for artists from leading groups of Europe. There were workshops and rehearsals inside the historic building, which was really exciting… Recently it was announced that Irek Mukhamedov would quit working as the head of the Greek Ballet. The artists who supported you for that role are so happy right now. What are your plans for the next year? Yes, I will start to work as a dance director and choreographer for the Greek Ballet this September. I believe we will have a good season with a strong team and an impressive group of dancers. Next year the ballets Spartacus and Romeo and Juliet will be staged. With the addition of contemporary works, I believe we will have a rich and satisfying program. What kind of a method did you use to create “Medea,” which was a world premiere in this year’s festival? I set the choreography of the “Medea’s Choice” on to the Medea opera by Theodorakis. We’ve worked on it with the participation of lead dancers from Vienna, Greece, and the Berlin Ballet for nearly six months. There was no chance to work together, since they were dancing with different groups, but by having the dancers follow the videos, combined with general rehearsals, we were able to produce a complete work. Have you considered a tour this season? It would be nice to see it in Istanbul. I have worked with the State Opera and Ballet of Istanbul. I know Turkish dancers very well. I would definitely like to make a tour to Turkey if we would be invited. |
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