A Tribute to George Tsontakis
Musics of the 20th and the 21st centuries
George Tsontakis, the Greek-American composer, is one of the most outstanding ‘voices’ in contemporary America, and the importance and communicational power of his music transcends his collection of awards (which include the Grawemeyer and Charles Ives awards).
Three Sighs Variations was written in 1981 when the composer was studying in Rome. One of a series of ‘musical postcards’ notionally addressed to friends, it reflects “the brief, sudden pains of a young visitor far from the familiarity of home”. Requiescat (1996) deals with the pain of loss. A minimalist, austere work, it is dedicated to the memory of the violist Bernard Milofsky. A work in progress, Knickknacks’ violin and viola miniatures sometimes flirt with Tsontakis’ longer compositions. Finally, a work of symphonic breadth for... solo piano, Ghost Variations (1991) is a work of Beethovenian robustness and irresistibly serious intent. A piece in three parts—ending, unusually, with a pair of scherzi—it contains a work within a work: a series of variations on a theme by Mozart. Decidedly unironic, the reference proves as elusive as the title: what or who exactly is the ghost here? What code (metaphysical? playful?) is hidden in the ending in which the pianist’s right hand ascends the keyboard and beyond?
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