Terzakis, Dimitri

Terzakis, Dimitri, Greek composer and teacher; b. Athens, March 12, 1938. He studied composition with Iannis Papaioannou at the Hellenic Cons, in Athens (1957-64), then pursued studies with Bernd Alois Zimmermann at the Cologne Hochschule für Musik (diploma, 1970); also studied Byzantine music and at Mount Athos. He was co-founder of the Greek Soc. for Contemporary Music (1966). He lectured on Byzantine music and instrumentation at the Robert Schumann Inst, in Düsseldorf (from 1974), where he taught composition at the Hochschule für Musik (1987-93). From 1990 he taught composition at the Bern Hochschule für Musik and from 1994 he was prof, of composition at the Leipzig Hochschule für Musik. In 1980 he founded the International Inst. of Research on the Relations Between Occidental and Southeast-European Music in Nauplia, Greece. Terzaki′s music steers a resolute course in the cosmopolitan avant-garde, leaving no tonal stone unturned; ancestral Grecian ethos is present, however, both in the titles and in the modalities of his output. In 1994 he began to compose monophonie scores.

Works

dramatic: Opera: Torquemada (1974-76); Circus Universal, chamber opera (1975); Hermes (1983-84). ORCH.: Ikona for Strings (1963); Oboe Concerto (1968); Chroai (1970); Transcriptions télégraphiques (1971); Kosmogramm (1974); Tropi (1975); Prooimion in Ethods C for Chamber Orch. (1979); Lachesis (1984-85); Violin Concerto (1985-86); Per aspera ad Astra (1989-90); Ikaros-Daidalos for Saxophone Quartet and Brass Orch. (1990); Alto Saxophone Concerto (1994-95). CHAMBER: Septet for 7 Flutes (1965-66); Trio for Guitar, Cello, and Percussion (1966); 4 string quartets (1969; 1976; 1981-82; 1990); Stixis II for Clarinet (1973); Brass Quintet (1983); Saxophone Quartet (1986); Octet (1988); Trias, piano trio (1989); Rabasso for Saxophone Quartet, Viola, Cello, and Double Bass (1991-92); Der Hölle Nachklang I for Alto Saxophone and Piano (1992); Jeux for Recorder and Guitar (1993); Trio for Flute, Bass Clarinet, and Piano (1993); Sonetto for Viola and Piano (1993). VOCAL: Okeaniden for Chorus and Orch. (1967); Ikos for Chorus (1968); Nuances for Soprano and Tape (1970); X for Baritone and Ensemble (1971); Karawassia for 6 Singers (1971-72); Ethos B for Soprano and 3 Instruments (1972); Stichiron for Chorus and Brass (1972); Passionen, oratorio (1978-79); Erotikon for Soprano and 3 Instruments (1979); 6 Monologe for Soprano and Orch. (1985); Das sechste Siegel for Chorus and Ensemble (1987); Apokryphen for Narrator, Soprano, and Chamber Ensemble (1988-89); Der Hölle Nachklang II for Soprano and Organ (1992-93); Daphnis und Chloe for Soprano and Viola (1994); Lieder ohne Worte for Soprano (1994). ELECTRONIC: Icho-chronos I (1967).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire