Video and Recordings

The piece The Remains of a Storm was written for the occasion of the Open Call for The New Sounds Week organized of Thessaloniki State symphonic orchestra in collaboration with the department of music studies of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The piece was selected between others and was performed by the Thessaloniki State Orchestra. Each composer had the opportunity to work and collaborate with great performers and be part of the whole project.

My piece took inspiration from a Natural Phenomenon: A Storm.

The piece is separated in four parts. Each part tries to picturize a different character of the phenomenon of a storm. The piece sequentially outlines four stages of a storm, from the moment before it breaks out to its passing. The specific theme was the main problematic during the composing procedure of the work, due to an intense childhood experience which I parallelize with the "storm" phenomenon. Therefore, the work attempts to describe the life cycle of a storm while at the same time - on a personal level - it becomes a symbolism - a correlation with the human life cycle. The title is consistent with the central idea of ​​the work as the main aim was to capture in sound the remains that a storm, of any kind, leaves in its wake.

The music has an echochromatic character which happens by the use of "non musical" instruments such as stones and air sounds. Each performer was called to play with two stones in order to achieve a physical soundscape. In many parts the performers are called to produce special air effects so that the wanted soundscape becomes more realistic.

Performed by Thessaloniki State Symphonic Orchestra -13/05/2022

New Sounds Week, Ceremony Hall of the Aristotle University

URL:

https://www.tsso.gr/default.aspx?lang=el-GR&page=6&eventid=177766

The piece was written on the occasion of the 11th Contemporary Music Lab, Organized by Thessaloniki Concert Hall in collaboration with department of music studies of the University of Thessaloniki.

Each composer was assigned to compose a piece for a wind ensemble. My piece Fragments Of Nothing was composed for woodwind Quartet.

The present work consists of four parts that function as image fragments and stories. The overall background of the work is based on four haiku that highlight with one special way various images of nature. It is an attempt to approach sensation of an observer observing fragments of images and stories. An observer who he "flies" from one image - story to the next without experiencing it but more like it observes.

The piece was performed by the Woodwind quintet of the Contra Tempo Chamber Orchestra:

Ana Chifu Flute

Panagiotis Kougioutsoglou Oboe

Igor Efimov Clarinet

Traianos Papadopoulos Horn

Konstantinos Vavalas Bassoon

Vladimiros Symeonidis Artistic supervision - Conductor

Date December 2021 - Thessaloniki Concert Hall

URL

http://www.tch.gr/default.aspx?lang=el-GR&page=3&tcheid=2741

The project Επ7ά-Se7en, music installation, was a project that assigned seven composers to do music installation and compose music on the occasion of the International Museum Day 2018 at Corfu Museum of Asian Art.

The main idea behind the project was music not only to be heard in the “Museum of Asian Art”, but to truly stem from its spaces and content. In other words, this means music composed, inspired and properly performed inside the Museum, so that the music would not only emerge the exhibits, but also create a special experience for the visitor through the coexistance of arts.

The Museum of Asian Art was divided into seven main zones, the basic criterion being the architectural structure of the building and its collections. Each zone represents one of the Seven meridians (chakra) of the human body. Each composer was connected with a particular zone and had to write music for the particular zone. Each composer was using a different tone (note), texture and sounds that were connected with a chakra and a zone of the museum. Furthermore the zones were connected with each other with composed soundscapes of the physical and spiritual elements as they arise from the eastern, buddhist tradition of chakras. The museum's structure was strengthens the match with the chakras, as the Root chakra could be found at the ground floor, the physical ones on the first floor and the spiritual ones on the second. The visitor while wandering in the Museum, with the help of music and soundscape vibrations could consciously or at least unintentionally go through a process of meditation and relaxation or even self- healing.

My part of composition (2':15'' – 4':00'') and installation was in the room of the chinese section and was based in the sixth chakra of creativity and sexuality “Sacral”. The composition was arranged for tape, guitar, zither and voice. The musical text was taken by the ancient chinese book I CHING (or book of Changes). The main Idea was that there was a ground tone (note of La - A) as a background tone. The whole piece was composed with this tone that is always head in the composition. There was an free impovisation part between the music that let the performers free themselves and be inspired by the chinese museum exhibits between as in the Museum.

CREW - PERFORMERS

concept & art director: Iason Voliotis

Guitar: Sarantis Agianoglou

Zihter: Charalampos Isavros Pandis

Voice: Ismini Beck

The composition TIRZAH was written for the ilSUONO Sax Project. The workshop was done by the Saxophonist Michele Bianchini and the composer Theocharis Papatrechas , with collaboration with the Ionian University department of Music Studies. The Composers were called to to write miniatures for saxophone. The main idea of the workshop was that composers so to learn the capabilities of saxophone , the use of extended techniques and make a research conducted upon the instrument of saxophone, presenting fundamental principles of interpretation and notation.

During the workshop, composers had the opportunity to work closely with Michele Bianchini, try new ideas and learn the use of saxophone.

My piece TIRZAH was inspired by the poetry of William Blake and particular by the poem To Tirzah. The piece was composed with the main idea that there would be a great balance between extended techniques, Avant Garde style and Melodic references.

The piece was performed by Michele Bianchini and took place at Polytechno, 16 June 2018.

The piece was written for the occasion of the Composition Competition in memory of the Poet Kostis Palamas, which was conducted from the Athens Conservatoire and the institution of Kostis Palamas Foundation.

The particular piece won a praise in the competition.

The piece was written as five different songs that function as one altogether. The text used in the piece was taken from the poetry collection Immortal Life. The main idea behind the piece was that the each poem of Kostis Palamas should include different sound colors that as they intertwine they create a colorful musical effect.

Each poem was very carefully selected that there would be diversity in the sound. In the music text there is a common starting point: All songs have a sustain note always there, willing to be heard.

Performers

Mezzo Soprano: Athina Kastrinaki

Piano: Dimitris Vezyroglou

Concert: 9th November 20219 - Athens Conservatoire Concert Hall

URL

https://www.athensconservatoire.gr/%ce%bd%ce%b9%ce%ba%ce%b7%cf%84%ce%ad%cf%82-%ce%b4%ce%b9%ce%b1%ce%b3%cf%89%ce%bd%ce%b9%cf%83%ce%bc%ce%bf%cf%8d/

The recomposition of the video music and sound effects was made during my studies at the Ionian University.

GET READY is a short film by Peter Tscherkassky for the Viennale Film Festival (1999).

I made a recompostition of the trailer using my own taste in sound effects and music.

Link of the original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9CyJZm8A3Q

Recomposition: Ismini Beck