PIANOFEST3

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LMS and the four distinguished pianists of PIANOFEST3 resist vehemently any form of division and alienation, and insist on promoting these timeless values in the furtherance of a better and more peaceful state of affairs, within which humanity may prosper in harmony.

We invite you to honour us with your presence and support in our effort to stand up against all kinds of division and hatred, and for the preservation of peace and love. Art unites.
 

Orestis Magou

Thursday, 7 November

Programme

Haydn: Sonata in E flat major, Hob. XVI:49

Beethoven: Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109

Liszt: Sonata in B minor, S. 178

Orestis Magou inaugurates PIANOFEST3, with a recital that marks the artist’s professional solo debut in Cyprus. Orestis is a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Birmingham and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, having won scholarships for both institutions. Alongside his studies, Orestis has received various distinctions, such as the First Prize in the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition, the First Prize in the Dennis Matthew Memorial Competition, and he was the recipient of the Miss Bowen Challenge Cup and the Sheila and Colina Hodge Memorial Prize for the best violin-piano duo. He has performed with the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra and the Birmingham Conservatoire Projects Orchestra, and has already given concerts in the United Kingdom, Italy, Cyprus, Hungary, and Romania.

The program begins with Haydn’s elegant and humour-filled Sonata in E-flat Major, which lively first movement contrasts with a lyrical Andante and a playful Finale in the style of a minuet.

Following this, the pianist transports his audience into the world of Beethoven, inviting us to immerse ourselves in the deep emotional realm that characterizes Sonata No. 30, a work rich in lyrical and dynamic contrasts.

The recital concludes with the monumental and unique Sonata in B Minor by Liszt, S. 178, a single-movement masterpiece known for its dramatic shifts, virtuosic passages, and detailed thematic transformation, highlighting Liszt's innovative approach to form and pianistic prowess.

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Nicolas Costantinou

Tuesday, 12 November

Programme

Beethoven: Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2

Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101

Schubert: Sonata No. 20 in A major, D959

Nicolas Constantinou, honoured with the title of Steinway Artist, impresses audiences with his bold repertoire choices and performances with unusual musical ensembles. Praised as an "artist of profound emotions" (Kaleva), his interpretations have been described as "colossal" and "dramatic" (D. Nicolau). He has performed in Europe and the USA at venues like Wigmore Hall, Musikverein, and Beethoven-Haus. He has appeared at international festivals such as Kuhmo and Oulunsalo Soi. In 2023, he released three albums with Odradek: metavasis, Past Forward, and Hedra. In 2018, he participated in the concert 'Music with the Masters' and presented the recital 'An Evening with Chopin.' He also performed the complete works of Beethoven for violin and piano (2013-14) and for cello and piano (2015-16) with Nikos Pittas and Péter Somodari.

The pianist invites us to a unique musical experience in A major, exploring human existence. This journey begins with Beethoven's early Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2/2, which is imbued with characteristic youthful vitality and energy, with a mood that is not only pleasant and carefree but also humorous, as elements of tenderness and love permeate the work.

In contrast, Sonata No. 28 in A major, Op. 101, is one of the first works of the composer's late period, written after an extended pause from composing serious works due to various personal circumstances. In this work, the composer returns with renewed energy and optimism, filtered through the prism of a now mature individual and artist. The pleasant mood, humour, tenderness, and love prevail once again but in a pioneering dimension of artistic expression.

Finally, the recital concludes with Schubert's Sonata No. 20 in A major, D959, the second of three sonatas composed by the thirty-one-year-old composer in September 1828, just two months before his death. Here we see a composer defying death (he had been suffering from syphilis since 1823) and dedicating himself to composing works at an unrelenting pace. The Sonata in A major embraces the full spectrum of human emotions, radiating an extraordinary sense of love and gratitude, all through his characteristic melodic sensitivity.
 

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Rami Sarieddine

Wednesday, 20 November

Programme

Haydn: Variations in F minor, Hob. XVII:6

Ravel: Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn

Dukas: Prelude élégiaque sur le nom de Haydn

Debussy: Hommage à Haydn

Kirchner: Five pieces for piano

Papageorgiou, G.: Rain of Tears

Schubert/Liszt: Ständchen, Frühlingslaube, Auf dem Wasser zu singen, Gretchen am Spinnrade, Du bist die Ruh

Rami Sarieddine is an internationally recognized pianist with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California. He has also studied at the New England Conservatory and the Royal Academy of Music in London, earning undergraduate and graduate degrees. He has held positions such as Head Piano Fellow at Bard College's Conservatory of Music in New York and has taught in Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi, New York City, and at the Central Conservatory in Beijing. Currently, he is a faculty member at the ARTE Music Academy and the Berlin Opera Academy. In 2019, he co-founded the duo+ Chimera and performs recitals worldwide, known for interpreting contemporary composers and collaborating with esteemed artists like Steve Reich and Frederic Rzewski.

Mr. Sariendin presents us with a diverse program covering works from the Classical period to the present day. The recital begins with Haydn's famous Variations in F minor, which the composer referred to as a sonata ‘Un piccolo divertimento’. This may be because he intended them as a movement in a larger work, or perhaps because they were substantial enough on their own. Next, the artist takes us back to 1909, inviting us to experience the musical scene of Paris. This year marked the centenary of the death of the Austrian composer. For this occasion, Jules Écorcheville, the publisher of the Société Internationale de Musique, issued a call to French composers to write a piece using the composer’s name as the central motif, which he translated into the notes B, A, D, D, G. Of the six composers who responded to the publisher’s request, the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy three of these works.

Following this, we have the work of American composer Leon Kirchner, Five Pieces for Piano (1987), which form a continuous cycle. Kirchner is known as an ardent modernist and a volatile romantic, a composer whose sophisticated awareness of the past informs a restless search for authenticity. Next, Rami will present a piece by Cypriot composer Giorgos Papageorgiou titled “Rain of Tears,” from the collection Melancholy Fields. This work is imbued with a romantic yet melancholic mood, through which the composer listens to the world and explores the uncertain future of humanity. As a conclusion, the audience will have the opportunity to enjoy five virtuosic transcriptions by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt of some of Schubert’s most popular songs.

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Eleni Mavromoustaki

Thursday, 28 November

Programme

Rameau: Suite in G minor, RCT 6

Schubert: 4 Impromptus, D899, nos. 2 & 4

Marche militaire in D major, D733/1

Janáček: Piano Sonata '1. X. 1905, from the street'

Schumann: Kreisleriana, op. 16

Special guest: Orpheus Tristan Kerr

PIANOFEST3 concludes with the recital of Eleni Mavromoustaki, who is described as a highly accomplished pianist with determination and outstanding expression. Eleni has performed in prominent venues worldwide, such as the Athens Concert Hall, the Rialto Theatre in Cyprus, and the Seoul Concert Hall. She has collaborated with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, and the Scottish Ensemble. Her studies at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Scottish Conservatoire were accompanied by awards in competitions such as the Maria Callas Grand Prix and the International Mozart Competition. She resides in London, where she enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher, and children's yoga instructor. She is the artistic advisor of Cyprus Music Makers and frequently collaborates with her sister Victoria and the Isolde Piano Trio.

The recital begins with the Suite in G Minor by the harpsichordist Jean-Philippe Rameau, one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century. After Jean-Baptiste Lully, he is considered the leading composer of French opera, and his music for the harpsichord is regarded as comparable to that of his contemporary François Couperin. The Suite in G consists almost entirely of character pieces rather than conventional dance movements from various nationalities, as was customary. The listeners are invited to use their imagination to discover how musical sound can evoke the rapid and nimble movement of hands engaged in weaving, represent a musical portrait of a hen, two Huron Indians, or even the mystery of an Egyptian gypsy.

Following are two works by Franz Schubert, dating from 1827: the masterful Impromptu in E-flat Major with its dramatic middle section, and the melancholic Impromptu in A-flat Major with a lyrical middle section from the composer’s first set of four Impromptus. At this point, the artist will invite the ten-year-old Orpheus Tristan Kerr to the stage, with whom she will perform the famous Military March in D Major for four hands.

Continuing the program is the remarkable work "1. X. 1905 From the Street" by the Czech composer Leoš Janáček, often referred to as a sonata. The piece is inspired by the death of a 20-year-old apprentice carpenter, František Pavlík, which occurred because of the police and military dispersing a gathering that supported the Czech population of Brno’s request for the establishment of a Czech university in this bilingual city.

Ms. Mavromoustaki concludes her recital with the magnificent Kreisleriana by Robert Schumann. This work draws its primary literary inspiration from the writings of Jean Paul (1763-1825) and E.T.A. Hoffmann (1776-1822), where the boundaries between reality and fantasy, the ordinary and the absurd, often blur. Kreisleriana combines elements of fiction and autobiography. The title refers to Schumann's fascination with the character Johannes Kreisler, a fictional pianist from Hoffmann's stories, who represents the ideal Romantic composer in Schumann’s eyes.