CYPRUS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CHARLIE PARKER WITH STRINGS

 

CYPRUS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

CHARLIE PARKER WITH STRINGS

Lefkosia: Wednesday 30 June 2021

Pallas Theatre, Pafos Gate, 20:30

Pafos: Thursday 1 July 2021

Markideio Municipal Theatre, 20:30

Lemesos: Friday 2 July 2021

Rialto Theatre, 20:30

Α tribute to the jazz legend Charlie Parker and specifically to his 1949-50 recordings for jazz quartet accompanied by a string section, oboe, harp and sometimes French horn, titled “Bird with strings”. This legendary recording created a new vogue for jazz soloists to incorporate a string ensemble into their standard jazz section, a trend still in fashion in our days. Charlie Parker, also known as “Bird”, intended to play with strings as early as 1941 as he was always searching for new colours in his music-making. The Charis Ioannou Quartet along with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra pay homage to this repertoire that sounds fascinating and colourful.

The programme opens with the world premiere of the piece Modus Vivendi, in jazz fusion style, written by our own Robert Hovanesyan, 1st violins tutti, and also talented composer with a special flair for jazz. Robert’s personal reflection in connection to this composition is that: “Life is unpredictable. Everyone is looking for their own modus vivendi – way of living – in order to survive...”

Robert Hovanesyan: Modus Vivendi for strings [World Premiere]

Charlie Parker: Bird with strings

Soloists: The Charis Ioannou Quartet

Conductor: Gerardo Estrada Martínez

Supporters: Pafos Municipality, Rialto Theatre, Limassol Municipality

Ticket prices: €12, €7 (18-26 yrs, pensioners), €5 (under 18)

Ticket presales: · For concerts in Lefkosia and Pafos, online at cyso.interticket.com

· For the concert in Lefkosia, tickets are also available at the Pallas Theatre Box Office every Wednesday 16:00-19:00. · For the concert at the Rialto Theatre, online at rialto.interticket.com - Rialto App and at the Box Office, Mon-Fri 10:00-15:00.

· Τickets will not be available at the theatre box offices on the concert day.

Pallas Theatre, Pafos Gate (Rigainis and Arsinois corner, 1010 Lefkosia, 22 410181)

Markideio Municipal Theatre (Andrea Geroudi 27, 8010 Pafos, 26 22228)

Rialto Theatre (Andrea Drousioti 19, Heroes Square, 3040 Lemesos, 77777745)

Information: 22 463144, www.cyso.org.cy

PROGRAMME NOTES

Robert Hovanesyan

Robert Hovanesyan is a violinist, violin pedagogue-professor and composer.

In 1982 he graduated from Yerevan State Conservatory, Armenia with the “Concert Performer and Pedagogue” Diploma. In 1981 he won the 1st Transcaucasian International Chamber Music Competition.

Highlights of his career include the position of Headmaster of Strings Section at the A. Babajanyan Music College in Armenia between 1994 and 1999. During the period 1981-1988 he was the Leader of the Armenian National Opera Studio Symphony Orchestra and between 1994 and 1999 the sub-leader of the Armenian Radio & TV Symphony Orchestra.

Since 1999 he is member of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra in the 1st violins section. He is also Professor at the Music Academy of the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra since 2018.

Robert Hovanesyan: Modus Vivendi for strings [World Premiere]

“All people are individual. We are individual in our actions, our thoughts, in love, in everything. Everyone has their own way of living. Everyone has their own modus vivendi - a way of living. And in order to live in harmony, we always make compromises. In everything - work, family, love and friendship. Living with compromise is the way of living - modus vivendi.”

Charlie Parker (1920-1955): Bird with strings

The jazz saxophonist, band leader, and composer Charlie Parker, nicknamed Yardbird or simply Bird, was a legendary figure in the jazz scene, known particularly for his contribution to the development of the virtuosic genre of bebop jazz. Parker was always a pioneer in jazz music, but, at the same time, he held a very strong interest in classical music, praising innovative modernist composers, such as Igor Stravinsky.

A longstanding desire of Parker was to perform with a string section alongside his regular jazz section. This was finally achieved when he recorded two albums in 1949 and 1950, collectively known as Parker with Strings, using a string section, oboe, harp, and French horn alongside his regular jazz quartet. His innovative and creative nature is brilliantly showcased in this project, although even Norman Granz, the renowned producer of the two albums, was at first skeptical about the unusual fusion, and only agreed to the idea after Parker’s persistence. In Granz’s own words: ‘Charlie Parker begged me to let him use strings. I don’t think that strings swing in a jazz context, but he begged me so much I gave in tohim.’

The eventual popularity the album received was so influential that created a new trend of incorporating a string ensemble into the standard jazz section, still in fashion today. Both albums included songs from the standard jazz repertory of the 1930s and 1940s, such as “Summertime”, “Everything Happens to me”, “Just Friends”, and “April in Paris”. However, Parker presented them in a totally different orchestral setting that requires a mastery of melody, but also the gift of improvisation. At the same time, this performance requires virtuosic skills, necessary to accommodate the decorative language of bebop jazz. The arrangements are carefully crafted to offer an interesting contrast between the strings and the jazz quartet, creating unique tone colours. This amusing and interesting project has been successful throughout the years because, as the music critique Colins asserts, “it seamlessly bridges genres and cultures –jazz mixes with elements of classical, ushering in a new decade of improvisation while not being tied down to any specific timeline”.

Dr. Christina Michael

GERARDO ESTRADA MARTÍNEZ

Gerardo Estrada Martínez is one of the rising conductors of great international range. The winner of the "Golden Baton" in the International Conducting Competition 3.0 (Paraguay - Spain), has been distinguished in other international contests, such as the International Danube Conducting Competition (Budapest, Hungary), where he obtained the Second Place and the Special Award of the Orchestra, and the International Black Sea Conducting Competition (Constanta, Romania), where he was a finalist and obtained the Special Award of the Orchestra.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela on August 5, 1980 Gerardo Estrada Martínez at an early age received profound education as a violinist, which was later followed by studying the percussion. The mastery of different instruments has greatly enriched the work of Maestro Estrada. He learnt conducting from outstanding teachers of Venezuela and Spain, graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London. Gerardo Estrada Martínez constantly hones his professional skills and techniques through participating in workshops all over the world.

As a conductor, Gerardo Estrada Martínez has performed with outstanding orchestras on prestigious stages of such countries as Spain, Portugal, France, Russia, Belarus, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Poland, Cyprus, Greece, Croatia, Serbia, Lithuania, Romania, Hungary, Venezuela, Paraguay, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Dominican Republic, etc.

His extensive repertoire includes music from different periods, from ancient to contemporary music, and different genres, such as opera, ballet and symphonic music. His interpretations of symphonic - choral sacred music (cantatas, oratories, masses, requiems, etc), which he performs with a special touch, were highly praised by critics. A special emphasis in his repertoire is put on Latin-American music of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Nowadays, Maestro Estrada is the Principal Guest Conductor of the Belarusian National Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra, Honorary Conductor of the Mogilev Symphony Orchestra and Director of his own pedagogical and artistic project: Conducting Dreams Productions.

Maestro Estrada is a conductor in permanent search of excellence. Every move of his baton transmits his infinite love for music. But the main thing is that Gerardo Estrada strongly believes in transforming power of music and the powerful effect it can have on people. He believes that music can help create a better world.

THE CHARIS IOANNOU QUARTET

The members of the quartet are Charis Ioannou on saxophone, Christos Yerolatsitis on piano, Irenaeos Koullouras on bass, and Marios Spyrou on drums.

Ioannou met Koullouras in Boston in 1997 and since then they have worked together on numerous projects. They performed on a regular basis in Limassol’s legendary JazzyB for many years after Ioannou’s return to Cyprus in 2005.

Around the same time while still in their teens, Yerolatsitis and Spyrou started their professional career being hired by Ioannou and others playing gigs around small venues all over the island. Now, all the musicians have already led their own bands in different venues in Cyprus and abroad and got together to form

The Charis Ioannou Quartet which will be performing with the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra for the “Charlie Parker with Strings” programme in June-July 2021.