- Giannis Christou
Jani Christou, in Greek: Γιάννης Χρήστου, (
January 9 ,1926 –January 9 ,1970 ), was a Greek composer.He was born in Heliopolis,
Egypt , of Greek parents. He was educated at the English School in Alexandria and he took his first piano lessons from various teachers and from the important Greek pianistGina Bachauer . In 1948 he gained an MA in philosophy after having studied withLudwig Wittgenstein andBertrand Russell inCambridge .During that time he also studied music with
Hans Redlich and in 1949 travelled toRome to study orchestration withAngelo Francesco Lavagnino . He briefly attended lectures byCarl Jung inZurich . In 1951 he returned toAlexandria where he married Theresia Horemi in 1961. He died on his 44th birthday in a car accident inAthens ,Greece .Christou's work is often thought to fall into three broad periods. The works of the first period (1948-58) have been described by Christou himself as freely
atonal . In his second phase (1960-64) Christou developed what he called "meta-serialism" whose main emphasis is onpolyphony , rhythmic dynamism and instrumental colours. During his third period (1964-70) Christou developed his own notation and he increasingly stressed the improvisatory element.Main works
* Phoenix Music (for orchestra) - 1949
* First Symphony - 1949-50
* Latin Liturgy - 1953
* Six T.S. Elliot Songs (for piano or orchestra & mezzosoprano) - 1955 (piano) / 1957 (orch.)
* Symphony no.2 - 1957-8
* Toccata for piano and orchestra - 1962
* Tongues of Fire (a Pentecost oratorio) - 1964
* Persai (Incidental music for Aeschylus' drama) - 1965
* Agamemnon - 1965
* Persians - 1965
* Mysterion - 1965-6
* Enantiodromia - 1965-8
* The Frogs 1966
* Mysterion (for orchestra, choir & soloists) - 1966
* Praxis for 12 (for 11 string instruments & director-pianist) - 1966
* Anaparastasis II - 1967
* Anaparastasis I - 1968
* Anaparastasis III - 1968
* Anaparastasis IV - 1968
* Anaparastasis I - 1968
* Anaparastasis III - 1968
* Oedipus Rex - 1969
* Oresteia (unfinished) - 1967-70Sources
*Lucciano, Anne Martine: Jani Christou, "Works and Personality of a Greek composer of our era", Yorgos Leotsakos trans., Bibliosynergatiki, Athens, 1987
External links
* [http://www.janichristou.org/ Jani Christou official website]
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