George Kontogiorgos, composer

The Galan Trio

Petros Bouras piano (tracks 01-11)

Babis Karasavvidis violin (tracks 01-10, 12)

Marina Kolovou cello (tracks 01-12)

This collection includes works by George Kontogiorgos for piano trios and duets, composed mostly during the last decade. “De Chirico,” the collection title, comes from the eponymous composition inspired by the symbolic - metaphysical painter Giorgio de Chirico, who was born in Volos, Greece, and lived there during his youth. The Mount Pelion “little train” with steam rising from the locomotive, running on a railway built by his father Evaristo, used to make a stop at Agria, the place where the composer lives. This little steam train is a repeated motif in the background of many de Chirico paintings.  The piano trio "Flowing Memories" combines melodic sequences alternating with contrapuntal and atonal passages, unfolding as a series of memories which fade away as time goes by. The ultimate destination of a human mind is solitude! “Dominance” and “An Unwithering Kiss”, both single movement works, represent instrumental arrangements by composer Christos Hatzis, based on Kontogiorgos songs, which were popular hits in the 1970s, a time of exuberance and innocence in Greece exemplified by the "New Wave" song movement. Particularly, the extensive elaboration of the music score of “Dominance” tends to represent an original composition of Hatzis rather than a straight-forward arrangement. Another interesting work is the duet “Before the Rain starts”. This composition, commissioned by Hilary Hahn as part of “In 27 Pieces in the Hilary Hahn Encores Contest”, was awarded with Honorable Mention. The duet “Chasing Lost Time” recalls a composer’s experience travelling from the snowbound Toronto, Canada to the burning desert of Tucson-Arizona, USA. Lastly, the duet “Shifting Balances” depicts an ambivalent conversation between violin and cello.

Product Details

De Chirico

Piano Trios and Duets

      De Chirico, piano trio [14:51] 

01. Evaristo in Action [04:08] 

02. Child Giorgio  [02:38] 

03. Hofgarten Arcades [05:00] 

04. Little Train 03:00 [03:00] 

05. An Unwithering Kiss, piano trio 5:15 [05:15] 

06. Before the Rain Starts, duet for violin and piano [03:19] 

       Flowing Memories, piano trio [18:21] 

07. Moderato assai con moto [05:08] 

08. Andante [07:43] 

09. Allegro-Moderato [05:30] 

10. Dominance, piano trio [05:53] 

11. Chasing Lost Time, duet for cello and piano [08:27] 

12 . Shifting Balances, duet for violin and cello [05:16] 

Total Time:  [61:22] 

This collection of the album comprises works by George Kontogiorgos for piano trio and duets, composed mostly during the last decade. Some of them are original, while others are based on his songs, converted to classical settings. The piano trio De Chirico was inspired by  symbolic painter Giorgio De Chirico, who was born in Volos and lived there during his youth. The little steam train, built by his father  Evaristo, on its uphill Mount Pelion journey, used to make a stop in Agria, the place where the composer lives. The duet Before the 

Rain  starts was awarded by the renowned violinist Hilary Hahn in an international composition contest. Both Dominance and An unwithering Rose are single movement works for piano trio. The duet Chasing the fleeting Time recalls a composer‘s experience  traveling from the heavily snowed Toronto Canada to the burning desert of Tucson Arizona, whereas the duet Fleeting Imbalances,  challenges a wayward fleeting conversation between violin and cello.