Dionysis Boukouvalas

Dionysis Boukouvalas (born 7 May 1979 in Athens) is a Greek composer, pianist and musicologist.^[1]

As a pianist he is particularly interested in improvisation, his main influences being Keith Jarrett and Wim Mertens.

He is also interested in contemporary music, having given Greek premieres of works by John Cage,^[2] Morton Feldman, Cornelius Cardew and Howard Skempton, and world premieres of works by contemporary Greek composers (like the Gaudeamus Prize winner of 2006 Lefteris Papadimitriou).^[3][4]

As a musicologist he is mainly active in the study of the music of the Ionian islands (west of Greece). He has also given many similar concerts as a pianist. His MA thesis at the university Paris 8 is dealing with the element of chance in music.

As a composer he has written music for solo instruments, chamber music, vocal music (choral and songs), stage music and electronic music.

His early works are mainly influenced by Béla Bartók. A turn is observed by his discovery of minimalism. Processes are a constant characteristic of his music from that time on. A crucial point was the discovery of aleatoric music with Iannis Xenakis. Even more influential was John Cage, more characteristically with his free-floating harmonies (what Cage called “proto-tonality”). A romantic feeling is a recurring feature of his music.

He is co-organizer of the Zante Jazz Festival.^[5]

Selected works

• Fantasy on a theme by Steve Reich (1999), for piano six hands (the theme is the initial motif of Piano phase).
• To Zante (2001), Edgar Allan Poe song for mezzo, mandolin and guitar.
• Preludes, I (2001), T.S. Eliot song for baritone and piano.
• Lullaby (2001, revised 2008), for solo clarinet.
• Two pieces for string quartet (2002–2003).
• Blue pearl (2003, revised 2004), Andreas Embiricos song for baritone and piano.
• Chemins fermés (2003), for 4 violins, cello and double-bass.
• An invisible city (2004, revised 2006), for bassoon and piano.
• Momo (2004), stage music for the Michael Ende play.
• Fungi from Yuggoth (2004, ongoing), H.P. Lovecraft song-cycle for baritone and piano.
• An invisible city 2 (2005), for 12 performers.
• Movements (2005), for solo clarinet.
• Movements 2 (2005), for solo mandolin.
• A midsummer night’s dream (2005), stage music for the William Shakespeare play.
• Vocalise (2005–2007), for mezzo and 10 performers.
• Rejouissez-vous ! (2006), for four part female chorus and organ, on poetry of Guillaume Apollinaire, Arthur Rimbaud and Aragon.
• Meditation (2010), for grand piano solo and auxiliary sounds.
• Winter concords (2010), for clarinet in B, horn in F, viola, piano and percussion. A collaboration with Rob Haskins.

References

1. ^ Boukouvalas short bio from the greek magazine Musikologia
2. ^ A John Cage tribute organized by Boukouvalas
3. ^ Composer's page info
4. ^ Composer's page info
5. ^ Zante Jazz Festival website

External links

• A review of Dionysis Boukouvalas on a Greek jazz artist
• Official website

Persondata
Name	Boukouvalas, Dionysis
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	7 May 1979
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death