“George Dalaras sings in Greek, yet his music, springing from the heart, has a universal appeal”
© ZAS MUSIC 2013
Made by ZAS MUSIC
Conducting
Hakan Sensoy
Hakan Sensoy conducted the concert in
Istanbul, Zorlu perorfmance center
Hakan Şensoy was born in Istanbul in 1968.
He started his musical education at the
Istanbul Technical University Traditional
Turkish Music Conservatory in 1977 and
graduated in 1988. Since 1984, he has
performed many recitals and orchestral
performances both in Turkey and abroad:
England, Sweden, the United States, Italy,
Mexico, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, the
Czech Republic, France, Estonia and Cyprus.
In 1985, Şensoy was awarded the Most
Successful Young Artist of the Year Award by
the Istanbul Philharmonic Society, and the
Great Performance in Art award by the rector
of Istanbul Technical University. In 1988,
Şensoy gave a recital at the Istanbul Atatürk
Cultural Center to UNESCO representatives.
In 1992, Şensoy received the fourth prize in
the Rovere D′Oro Chamber Music
Competition in San Bartalameo, Italy, and
gave the opening concert for the International
Christopher Columbus Festival in Bari.
In 1993, he participated in the 21st
International Istanbul Music Festival. In 1996,
1997 and 1999 he participated as a
conductor in the International Young
Musicians Festival of Istanbul. He has also
participated in the Brasow International
Chamber Music Festival in Romania, the
Malmö Falsterbonasets Internationella
Musikfestpel in Sweden, and the International
Ankara Music Festival. In 1989,
Şensoy completed postgraduate courses at
the Royal College of Music in London. He
completed his master′s degree n 1992 and
completed his art doctorate at Istanbul
Technical University Institution of Social
Sciences in 2002. During 1992 - 1993
concert season, he led the Çukurova State
Symphony Orchestra. He is currently the
director of the Akbank Chamber Orchestra,
the MR Chamber Orchestra, the Mersin
Chamber Orchestra and the Cemal Resit Rey
Symphony Orchestra.
Şensoy has contributed to numerous radio
and television programs as a guest and as a
producer. He is a noted arranger of Yalçin
Tura′s work, and has arranged three of his
pieces: “Three Waltzes for Violin and Piano”,
“Sonata for Violin and Piano”, and “Dance
Tunes for Violin and 10 Chamber Soloists” as
well as Münir Nurettin Beken′s “Dance for the
Past for magnetic tape and violin" and “Holes
on the Japanese Lamp for violin and cello".
He premiered Miechel Ellison′s “Duet for
Violin & Cello”. Hakan Şensoy has released
three CDs: “The Eagien Balcanic Dances”
with the kemençe (traditional Turkish
instrument) player Ihsan Özgen; “Şensoy
Plays Tura” and “İstanbulin” with Cihat Aşkın
and Aşkın Ensemble.
Yiorgos Kountouris
Yiorgos Kountouris conducted the premiere
at the Vienna Concerthous in Vienna and
Megaro Mousikis Thessaloniki
Born in Nicosia, Yiorgos Kountouris
graduated from the St. Petersburg State
Conservatory, where he studied symphonic
and operatic conducting with Prof. Alexander
Alexeev and violin with Prof. Antonina
Kazarena. In 2006, Mr. Kountouris was
appointed at the University of California, Los
Angeles as the assistant conductor of the
UCLA Philharmonia and UCLA Symphony
orchestras.
He has conducted numerous orchestras in
Europe, the U.S.A and Russia. Some
indicative collaborations of the maestro
include the St. Petersburg Philharmonic
Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra,
the Hermitage State Chamber Orchestra, the
Athens Camerata as well as the prestigious
Lege Artis and Wiener Singakademie choirs.
Yiorgos Kountouris has been the first Cypriot
conductor appearing in some of the world's
most historic music halls such as the Wiener
Konzerthaus, the St. Petersburg
Philharmonic Hall and Royce Hall in Los
Angeles.
He had his Cyprus début in June 2008 with
the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, which was
followed by a tour in Greece with the final
concert in Athens Megaron. Since then, the
collaboration with the CySO continues on a
regular basis.
In May 2010 he opened the "Karelian White
Nights" festival with the Karelian
Philharmonic Orchestra while in 2012, Y.
Kountouris conducted the Cyprus premiere of
I. Xenakis "Oresteia" at the closing concert of
the International Kypria Festival.
ECM released in 2012 a recording of Y.
Koumentakis's 3rd piano concerto, with Y.
Kountouris conducting the Athens Camerata
at the Megaron Hall; soloist - Y. Lazarides.
Y. Kountouris teaches Conducting at the
European University of Cyprus. His research
papers were published in Greek, English and
Russian languages in some of the most
esteemed international musicological journals
such as the "Moscow Musical Academy".
Since January 2013, Mr. Kountouris is the
artistic director and condutor of the Cyprus
Youth Symphony Orchestra.
Stefan Vladar
Stefan Vladar conducted the concert at the
Philhamonie Munich
Vladar’s international career has taken him to
the world’s major music venues. He has
performed under the baton of Claudio
Abbado, Riccardo Chailly, Christoph von
Dohnányi, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Daniel
Harding, Christopher Hogwood, Louis
Langrée, Sir Neville Marriner, Lord Yehudi
Menuhin, Seiji Ozawa, Horst Stein, Christian
Thielemann and Sándor Végh in
appearances with the Academy of Saint
Martin in the Fields, Bayerisches
Staatsorchester, Royal Concertgebouw
Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe,
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, NHK
Symphony Orchestra of Tokyo, Rotterdam
Philharmonic Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester
Zürich, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and
Vienna Symphony, among many others.
Since 1991 Stefan Vladar has devoted
himself increasingly to conducting, appearing
with such orchestras as the Vienna
Symphony Orchestra, Mozarteumorchester
Salzburg, Camerata Salzburg, Bruckner
Orchester Linz, The Hague Philharmonic,
Essen Philharmonic, Stuttgart Philharmonic,
RSO Budapest, Danish Radio Symphony
Orchestra, Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and
Trento as well as the chamber orchestras of
Prague, Cologne, Zurich, Basel and Ireland.
Stefan Vladar is in a variety of capacities as a
soloist, chamber-music partner and
conductor a highly esteemed guest artist at
the world’s most prestigious festivals,
performing at the Salzburger Festspiele, the
Festivals in Edinburgh, Osaka and Hong
Kong as well as the Rheingau Musik Festival,
the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the
Klavierfestival Ruhr, the Musikfest Bremen
and the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg. In May
2010 he was the artist in residence of the
German Bodenseefestival, with numerous
concerts both as conductor and pianist, also
conducting the opening concert with the
Bamberger Symphoniker.
Stefan Vladar has been the principal director
of the newly founded Recreation – Grosses
Orchester Graz from 2002-2006. In May 2008
he was named artistic director and principal
conductor of the Vienna Chamber Orchestra,
following Heinrich Schiff in this position.
Among the internationally renowned
chamber-music artists with whom Stefan
Vladar regularly performs are the Ensemble
WienBerlin, the Artis Quartet, Heinrich Schiff,
Julian Rachlin, Janine Jansen, Clemens
Hagen as well as the singers Angelika
Kirchschlager and Bo Skovhus.
Stefan Vladar is the artistic director of the
festivals in Neuberg and of the Upper
Austrian Monastery Concerts, one of Austria’s
most important festivals. In 1999 he was
appointed to a professorship in piano at the
University of Music and Performing Arts in
Vienna.
Vladar’s discography includes more than 30
releases for labels such as harmonia mundi,
Sony Classical and Preiser-Records with his
own series “Classic Selection” documenting
his work as a pianist and as a conductor with
music amongst others of Haydn, Schubert,
Schumann, Chopin, Prokofiev and Scriabin.
In 2009 he received the Decoration of Honour
in Gold for Services to the Republic of
Austria.
Conducting
The “Kavafis Project” is an
elemental work, which combines
the wisdom of philosophy with the
intuition of music. Conducted by
Hakan Sensoy, Stefan Vladar and
Yiorgos Kountouris.