Paolo Carrer (1829–1896) – Zakynthos: Songs & Arias from his Operas….

PROGRAM

Αγάπη μου αστρογέννητη …..
(Duet Toni-Marina from the comic melodrama ΚΟΝΤΕ ΣΠΟΥΡΓΙΤΗΣ) 

Το φεγγάρι
(poem A. Manousou) 

Το ορφανό
(poem Αχιλ. Παράσχου) 

Chieggo perdono…Io ti sprezzo…
(Duet Fedimis-Murtis from the opera ΜΑΡΑΘΩΝ-ΣΑΛΑΜΙΣ) 

Ο Γερο-Δήμος
(poem Ar. Balaoritou) 

Ανθός και Αυγούλα
(poem D. Solomou) 

Μα , ωιμέ , εάν έμελλε … Στων αρμάτων την ανάσα …
(Aria by Mouxtar from the opera ΦΡΟΣΥΝΗ) 

Έτσι η μοίρα μ’έφερε… Έλα βάρβαρε , δεν τρομάζω…
(Aria by Sofia from the opera ΜΑΡΚΟΣ ΜΠΟΤΣΑΡΗΣ) 

Bello è del ciel dell’Attica…
(Aria by Murtis from the opera ΜΑΡΑΘΩΝ-ΣΑΛΑΜΙΣ) 

Soli siam , da me che brami ?….Questa donna …
(Duet by Fedimis-Alexandrou & finale of the second part of the opera ΜΑΡΑΘΩΝ-ΣΑΛΑΜΙΣ)

BIOGRAPHY

Sofia Kyanidou
Born in Thessaloniki, Greece, Sofia studied at the Vienna Music Academy, singing with Prof. Helene Karusso, Lied und Oratorium with Ksg. Prof. Kurt Equiluz, and Opernclass with Prof. Curt Malm, and graduated with Diplom in Lied-Oratorium and Opera. She sings regularly in the Athens State Opera (Michaela, Antonia, Gertrude, Echo, Fatima e.t.c.), Thessaloniki State Opera (D.Anna), the Athens Chamber Opera and Megaron Productions. She has sung the leading Part in many Greek Operas. Sofia was the soloist in Vienna Konzerthaus in the 2nd from G.Mahler and Musikverein. Among other roles in Austria, she has sung Donna Anna, Marzellina, Rosalinde, 1ste Dame in the Magic Flute, Euridice from J. Fux. She took Part in modern Productions with Wiener Opern Theater (the 2nd Mrs. Kong from H. Birthwistle and La Grand Macaber from Ligeti). She has sung among others the 2nd, 4th and the 8th from G. Mahler the Creation and Jahreszeiten. From Haydn, Missa Solemnis and the 9th from Beethoven Elias and Paulus from Mendelshon Requiem from Mozart Faure and Bhrams and many other Sacred Works. Sofia’s repertoire has a brightness that includes works from Baroque until Contemporary Composers. She took part in Masterclasses with: Daphne Evangelatos, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Costas Paschalis and Inge Borgh. Between 2005-2007 she taught Singing at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. In April 2010 she made her debut in Germany (Wuppertal) where she sang the leading role in Samaras Opera “La Martyre”, and in May she appeared in Konzerthaus in Berlin.

Irini Karagianni
Greek mezzo soprano Irini Karagianni has followed a very diverse career that brought her in major opera houses including the Teatro alla Scala, Opera di Roma, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Oper Frankfurt and the Israeli Opera of Tel Aviv. An important part of her activity is dedicated to the music of the 18th century and has participated in award winning recordings of works by Haendel receiving praise from the international press as one of today’s foremost interpreters of his music.

Yiannis Christopoulos
An Athens-born tenor, he completed his musical studies in Cremona, Italy, with an Alexandra Trianti Scholarship in 1998. He has performed leading roles in the classical and contemporary repertories at the Athens Concert Hall, the Thessaloniki Concert Hall and the Greek National Opera, and worked with every major Greek orchestra. He has appeared at international festivals and stages (at Carnegie Hall, the Madrid National Music Auditorium, Florentine Musical May and the Cairo Opera). His recordings include Thanos Mikroutsikos’ Return of Helen and In My Home, a Perfect Stranger, Tasos Ioannidis’ Revelation of John, and Giorgos Hadzinasios’ Chronicle of the Fall of Asia Minor. From 2008 to November 2012 he served as the president of the GNO Protagonists’ Society.

Dimitris Υakas
Dimitris Yakas was born in Athens in 1957. He studied the piano at the National Conservatory in Athens, from where he graduated in 1977. He continued his education at the ECOLE NORMALE DE MUSIQUE DE PARIS (piano, chamber music and piano coaching [formation de chef de chant]) and had lessons in vocal accompaniment with Dalton Baldwin.

In 1882, as a result of winning a competition, he took up a position as coach at the Paris Opera, where he remained until 1991. During this period he worked with many major conductors and singers, with whom he gave concerts in Paris as well as other French cities and at Festivals (Tours, Pau, Strasbourg, Festival de Marmande, de Sully, du Comminges etc). He worked many times as coach at the Opera de Lyon at the invitation of Kent Nagano. In 1990 he played at two concerts in Paris, at which the complete works of Berlioz for voice and piano were performed (with M.Olmeda, B. Uria-Monzon etc).

In 1991 he settled in Athens and became one of the principal collaborators of the Greek National Opera and the Megaron: The Athens Concert Hall, working with conductors as M.Viotti, R.Bonynge, D.Renzetti, J.Arnel, A.Allemandi, etc. He has coached the singers for the world Premieres of many operas written by Greek composers [Mikis Theodorakis: MEDEA, Bilbao 1991, Thanos Mikroutsicos THE RETURN OF HELENA, Athens 1993, Arghyris Kounadis: BACCHAE, Athens 1996 etc.] and has played for Master classes of J. Pilou, Ch.Ludwig, D.Evangelatos, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Alison Pearce etc. He regularly gives concerts as an accompanist in Greece and abroad (M.Krilovic, J.Pilou, A.Baltsa, D.Evangelatos, D.Kavrakos, El.Vidal, A.Cognet, D.Theodossiou etc.)