“Leda and the Swan” – Concert by Michalis Grigoriou

After several years of absence, Michalis Grigoriou returns by giving two concerts at Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, in January and February 2013.

In his first concert on Wednesday 9th January 2013, at 21:00, Grigoriou’s oeuvres that will be presented are: “Six Songs without Lyrics”, “Leda and the Swan” (poetry by Katerina Karizoni) and songs presented for the first time in Greece “Mauve” (lyrics by poets of Ionian Islands) and “Purple” (based on Shakespeare’s sonnets).

With the participation of:
Savina Yannatou and Doros Demosthenous (singing)
With the musicians: Dionisis Vervitsiotis (violin), Vangelis Nina (cello) and Michalis Grigoriou (piano).

Michalis Grigoriou notes:

“Oeuvres like ‘Leda and the Swan’ -or even more ‘Purple’ and ‘Mauve’– cannot be characterised as an attempt of gapping the avant-garde music with popular culture, as I had mentioned in my first work’s note. In my opinion, such circles of songs could be characterised as pieces of chamber music by using the term in western music way.”

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Michalis Grigoriou was born in 1947 in Athens. He is the son of the director Grigoris Grigoriou and the poet Maria Papaleonardou. At the age of 5 years old, he started piano lessons with Kaiti Papaleonardou. He graduated from the NTUA School of Architecture, while he started music lessons with G. A. Papaioannou for interrupting their cooperation according to some disagreements. He continued by teaching himself music.

He has conducted various pieces of music for piano, chamber music assembles, orchestra and choirs, keyboards, thematic circles of songs, or even music for theatrical plays and films.

His work can be found in 12 cds. “Non-sent Letters” (poetry by A. Alexandrou), “Love is Fear” (poetry by M. Anagnostakis), “Ulysses by the River” and “Farewell of the Sea” (poetry by T. Sinopoulos), “Blue” (poetry by R. Papanikola), the oratorio “Dark Act” (based on the homonym work by T. Livaditis) etc.

He has given many concerts, mainly as a pianist or keyboard player. His oratorio “I, Antigone” was presented by N. Koundouros in 1999 at Epidaurus.

He was for 20 years collaborator at Greek Radio’s Third Program and his broadcast show “Third Program’s Musical Workshop” gave the opportunity to new musicians presenting their work.

Apart from the musical synthesis, he has systematically dealt with the Social History of Arts and the psychology of aesthetic perception and he has taught these topics at the universities of Athens and Thessaly. He has contributed decisively in establishing the “Musical Centre of Piraeus”, where he was the art director.

He has translated many theoretical essays about music, he has written a two-volume educational book called “Music for Children and Clever Adults” (NEFELI Publications) and he has also carried out a theoretical study about “Musical Perception and Creation: Universal Constants and Cultural Variables”.

His autobiographical book “Learning the Harmonica: Exercises in self-observation”.