The Municipality of Paralimni - Deryneia hosted on the evening of Sunday, September 29, 2024 a unique concert with the twenty-five-member bow string orchestra of the students of the violin specialization of the Traditional Music department of the Department of Music Science and Art of the University of Macedonia "Violione" at the Municipal Amphitheater "Kyriakou Pelagia" ” in Paralimni. They were joined by the rebetiko duo with Vassilis Skoutas (bouzouki, voice) and Dimitris Mitarakis (guitar, voice).
The event was attended on behalf of the Municipality by the Deputy Mayor of Paralimni, Mr. Kleanthis Koutsoftas, who delivered a greeting, the Deputy Mayor of Deryneia, Mr. Nikos Lillis, the Deputy Mayor of Frenarous, Mr. Costas Michael, as well as the members of the Municipal Council of Paralimni - Deryneia, Mr. Giorgos Artymatas and Ms. Maria Moulazimi.
The orchestra had a surprise at the end of the performance, since they were joined by the conductor Mr. Michalis Kouloumis and the members of the Famagusta Traditional Music Orchestra, presenting together three traditional Cypriot songs.
In this performance, for the first time in its artistic and academic career, the Violin Orchestra arranged and presented a large number (about 50) of selected old instrumental scores of Greek traditional music from the ten major regions of Greece, Cyprus and Mikra Asia and even in continuous flow between them as an independent project.
All the orchestrations have been performed by the members of the orchestra exclusively for this purpose, and have been properly adapted to the particular alternative way of interpretation of the ensemble presenting a musical journey of Greek traditional music through a new prism, combining elements of both old and modern performance techniques of string bows, and plenty of improvisation.
The show in question has both an artistic and a strong educational interest, since it was also created for the purpose of a seminar presenting the various idiomatic expressions of the violin in Music Schools.
The popular Athenian rebetiko duo of Vassilis Skoutas (bouzouki, voice) and Dimitris Mitarakis (guitar, voice) participated in the concert in Paralimni together with the Violin Orchestra, where the twenty-five-member Orchestra approaches with its own alternative way of interpretation, arranging and recomposing, indicatively pieces of rebetiko from the gramophone period (1900-1960), presenting a musical journey from the past to the future, with elements of both old and new styles, highlighting a romantic but at the same time communicative and outgoing mood.
The action was implemented by the Violin Orchestra of the traditional music department of the Department of Music Science and Art of the University of Macedonia, with the patronage and financial support of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Intercultural Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Greece, and with the kind sponsorship of Music schools of Cyprus, including the Municipality of Paralimni - Deryneia and the Cultural Festival of the University of Cyprus.
VIOLIN ORCHESTRA
The "Violin Orchestra" was created in 2018. It is a twenty-five-member bowed string orchestra of students specializing in violin in the Traditional Music direction of the Department of Music Science & Art of the University of Macedonia, and is a member of its Poetry Laboratory. With already two personal record albums under her belt, the main pursuit of the musical ensemble is the presentation of a repertoire, mostly of Greek music, of the Balkans and the wider Eastern Mediterranean, but also of new contemporary compositions, through a creative prism of orchestration and application of older but also more modern interpretation techniques of bowed strings. It is an alternative musical proposal of partnership of bowed strings with the aim of developing interactivity and constantly exploring channels of musical communication between them with abundant improvisational mood.
The main objective of the Orchestra is to feed the field of expertise of bowed string interpretation in general with new elements which will contribute to highlighting the expressive specificity of the "language" of the violin family in the various folk oral traditions. The Violin Orchestra has performed to date more than 30 performances in featured venues, several of which have been fully subsidized by the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
THEY PARTICIPATED:
Violin: Zarias Giannis, Milas Nikos, Sfakianos Giannis, Dimitris Stephopoulos, Olympia Exadaktilo, Kontopoulou Alkisti, Andronikou Pavlina, Chronis Vangelis, Pappas Panagiotis, Poulios Christos, Patrikis Stelios, Vaigousis Pantelis, Smaga Mariana, Michael Angel os, Emmanuilidou Myrto
Viola: Papaemmanouil Akis,
Double bass: Giorgos Tsiatsoulis, Katsimanis Angelos,
Cello: Kyrvei Maria,
Percussion: Alexiou Olga
Responsible for photography: Panagiotou Vasia,
Contact person: Anna-Maria Sinopidou
Artistic supervision, production organization: Giannis Zarias (assistant violin professor in the department of the same name).
