Interview with Nikos A. Dontas

Description:

The Athens Concert Hall honoured Yorgos Sicilianos on his 80th birthday as part of the International Festival of Contemporary Music with three concerts, showcasing his extensive body of work that spans six decades. The first concert was held on 25 November 2000, followed by two more on 3 and 14 December. These concerts featured his five string quartets, highlighting his evolution from tonality to atonality and eventually to a style accessible to the broader public. The programme also included symphonic works like the ballet suite Tanagraea, Sonata for Orchestra, Six Fantastic Pieces on Poems by C.P. Cavafy, and Contrastes on a chromatic theme by Orlando di Lasso for two pianos and orchestra. Sicilianos’s enduring fascination with ancient Greek literature has significantly influenced his compositions.

In the interview with Nikos A. Dontas for Η Καθημερινή newspaper published on 26 November 2000, Sicilianos expressed a deep connection to his ancient Greek roots, which have always influenced his work, albeit not necessarily showcased as a banner of his national identity. He believes that a composer’s national identity emerges naturally and should be cultivated over time, both theoretically and practically. Sicilianos also reflected on how his thematic choices often arose from the needs and desires of the moment, mentioning his long-time admiration for C.P. Cavafy, a poet whose work he approached only once due to its complexity.

Sicilianos shared his journey from believing that the future of Greek music lay in combining traditional Greek folk and Byzantine music to exploring contemporary musical techniques such as twelve-tone, atonal, serial, and electronic music. However, he eventually questioned for whom he was composing these complex works, realizing they resonated with only a few. This led him to simplify his music without abandoning his principles, incorporating melodicity to make his compositions more accessible while maintaining an atonal structure.

Addressing the current state of serious Greek music, Sicilianos lamented the neglect and misrepresentation it faces, with notable works and composers often overlooked. He criticized the lack of support from the Greek state, noting that compositions are rarely performed or published, leaving composers to rely on their resources. Despite his efforts as the president of the Union of Greek Composers, he struggled to secure funding for publishing music, highlighting the systemic challenges faced by Greek composers.