ALEXANDROS KAROZAS
When Kaváfis picks up on the everyday experience of waiting in vain for sailors ("The Prayer"), Karozas lets the song follow folk song lines. The poet allows himself a lot of fun when describing the ridiculous preparations for the arrival of the barbarians, and finally realizing that they are not coming: "What will become of us without the barbarians? / Any solution was these people." The composer, who has put his knowledge and craftsmanship into thousands of precisely given notes, lets the unusual duo improvise tuba and guitar in between, until not a few orchestral musicians are infected by the broad grin of John Sass. Bruno Ganz brought the lyrics closer to the non-Greek part of the Konzerthaus audience. The Greek community in Vienna cheered Giorgos Dalaras on Sunday - rightly so - who gave another proof of his versatility that evening. The conductor, choir, orchestra and soloists deserved the long-lasting applause, as did the composer's standing ovation. Alexandros Karozas is also thankful that his work recalls that Greece is better than corrupt bureaucrats and irresponsible oligarchs. . Gerald Jatzek Wiener Zeitung, 2011

The better Greece

Konstantínos P. Kaváfis (1863-1933) was a man full of contradictions. He is considered a pioneer of Greek modernism and was almost never in Greece. He wrote away from the literary scene of his time, published little and was still considered a great poet during his lifetime. Alexandros Karozas has set his poems to music. This begins with the instrumentation of his extended oratorio, in which the Santouri (Asia Minor instrument) has as much space as the guitar, the tuba and the classical orchestral instrumentation with special emphasis and sonic range of the clarinet. The poet follows his street, which always leads him through the city, through the microcosm of Alexandria, where the history of three continents unites, and the composer follows him. Postmodernism here does not mean arbitrariness, but the kaleidoscopic composition of such different traditions as Shostakovich, Orthodox church music, Weill and Theodorakis, which is probably once cited.

"Alexandros Karozas is also thankful that his work recalls that Greece is better than corrupt

bureaucrats and irresponsible oligarchs.”

Home Art & Culture Lex Tradition Listen Cavafy Mikis George Media Impressum
ALEXANDROS KAROZAS

When Kaváfis picks up on the everyday experience

of waiting in vain for sailors ("The Prayer"), Karozas

lets the song follow folk song lines. The poet allows

himself a lot of fun when describing the ridiculous

preparations for the arrival of the barbarians, and

finally realizing that they are not coming: "What will

become of us without the barbarians? / Any solution

was these people."

The composer, who has put his knowledge and

craftsmanship into thousands of precisely given

notes, lets the unusual duo improvise tuba and

guitar in between, until not a few orchestral

musicians are infected by the broad grin of John

Sass. Bruno Ganz brought the lyrics closer to the

non-Greek part of the Konzerthaus audience.

The Greek community in Vienna cheered Giorgos

Dalaras on Sunday - rightly so - who gave another

proof of his versatility that evening. The conductor,

choir, orchestra and soloists deserved the long-

lasting applause, as did the composer's standing

ovation. Alexandros Karozas is also thankful that

his work recalls that Greece is better than corrupt

bureaucrats and irresponsible oligarchs.

Gerald Jatzek

Wiener Zeitung, 2011

The better Greece

Konstantínos P. Kaváfis (1863-1933) was a man full of

contradictions.

He is considered a pioneer of Greek modernism and

was almost never in Greece. He wrote away from the

literary scene of his time, published little and was

still considered a great poet during his lifetime.

Alexandros Karozas has set his poems to music. This

begins with the instrumentation of his extended

oratorio, in which the Santouri (Asia Minor

instrument) has as much space as the guitar,

the tuba and the classical orchestral instrumentation

with special emphasis and sonic range of the

clarinet.

The poet follows his street, which always leads him

through the city, through the microcosm of

Alexandria, where the history of three continents

unites, and the composer follows him.

Postmodernism here does not mean arbitrariness,

but the kaleidoscopic composition of such different

traditions as Shostakovich, Orthodox church music,

Weill and Theodorakis, which is probably once cited.

"Alexandros Karozas is also thankful that his

work recalls that Greece is better than corrupt

bureaucrats and irresponsible oligarchs.”

Site Navigation