Modernism and Greek Antiquity in the Work of Yorgos Sicilianos

Abstract or Summary:

Yorgos Sicilianos (1920–2005) is recognised as one of the most significant figures in Greek musical modernism. From the mid-1950s, he began incorporating modernist idioms into his compositions while simultaneously drawing on classical antiquity to explore and define “Greekness” in his music. This approach marked a departure from the Byzantine and folk traditions central to the dominant National School of Music at the time.

Sicilianos’s engagement with Greek antiquity became a defining aspect of his creative journey, evident in three categories of works:

1. Ballets inspired by themes from Greek antiquity.

2. Incidental music for ancient Greek tragedies.

3. Compositions incorporating excerpts from ancient Greek texts, primarily tragedies.

The article discusses Sicilianos’s efforts to merge elements of Greek antiquity with musical modernism, identifying the Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 12 (1954) as the first work where he employed modernist techniques. It outlines two developmental phases in his approach:

1. First Phase: Sicilianos combined modernist techniques with references to Greek folk music, seen as remnants of ancient Greek heritage, ensuring a continuity between past and present.

2. Second Phase: He moved towards a more organic integration of ancient texts with modernist idioms, fostering a dialogue between antiquity and modernity without external references.

The shared ideological foundation of universality and timelessness connects ancient drama, as perceived in this period, with key principles of modernism, underpinning Sicilianos’s innovative synthesis of these traditions.