Manolis Kalomiris (1883-1962) has often been called the Father of Modern Greek classical music. He is a prolific composer, and an extremely gifted one at that. I was familiar with his name but had never heard any of his music before. This rectifies a definite delinquency in my musical education. If you like Hindemith, or any number of modern tonal American composers, Bartok, and Shostakovich, there is no way you cannot like this music. The pieces here are all very accessible, exciting, and full of that long lost sense of discovery when you first listen. Triptych was a work designed to honor the memory of the celebrated Greek national hero (of Cretan origin) Eleftherios Venizelos, the man who launched the modern nationalist movement in Greece and fought for the autonomy of Crete and its “merger” with Greece. The piece is a powerful one, with a particularly affecting slow movement March funebre. It was premiered on the day that another of the composer’s mentors died, Costis Palamas, a great poet. This led to the genesis of the Symphony No. 3, “Palamian”, a major work in four movements marred only in my mind by the unfortunate use of a narrator – who adds little that couldn’t be put in some well done program notes.
The Three Greek Dances deserve a place with those of Grieg, Dvorak, and Arnold, characteristic of the culture, lively, and refreshing to listen to. The Destruction of Psara is a very short two-minute work that makes for nice filler but seems to me rather insubstantial.
Who would have guessed that the Athens State Symphony could play so well? They rip into this music with a nationalistic fervor and succeed in a highly competent manner, with no detectable weaknesses in the orchestra anywhere. This is a real eye-opening disc, and one that will pay repeated rewards on multiple hearings. The Naxos sound, recorded at the ASO’s recording venue and hall, is excellent, spacious with fine qualities that show the orchestra to good advantage. Be bold, and try it!
— Steven Ritter
