Iwona Glinka - Lament for Theodore Antoniou, Vol. 1-3 (2021)

The albums Lament for Theodore Antoniou Volumes 1-3 consist of 66 (22 each) new works dedicated to the memory of the deceased Greek composer Theodore Antoniou. The main idea of the miniatures, like lamentations, came from Antoniou who wrote seven laments for friends and colleagues who were no longer with him: Lament for Michelle for solo flute (for Michelle Sahm, flutist of Alea III), Lament for Manos for solo clarinet (for Manos Hadjikakis), Lament for Walter for solo viola (for the violist Walter Trampler), Lament for Yiannis Mantakas for mixed choir, Lament for Joseph for solo flute (for Joseph Castaldo), Lament for John for solo horn (for John Daverio) and Lament for Lukas (for Lukas Foss). All Antoniou’s laments were based on a dirge (moiroloi) from the area of Mani in Greece.

Theodore Antoniou ( February 10, 1935 – December 26, 2018, Athens, Greece) held teaching positions at Stanford University, the University of Utah, and the Philadelphia Musical Academy. He was professor among the composition staff at Boston University, where he served since 1978. He also lead and conducted the new music ensemble Alea III, which holds residence at Boston University. The ensemble performs frequently with new and premiering compositions, has worked with numerous renowned artists, and has toured Europe onnumerous occasions.
As a conductor, Antoniou worked with orchestras, small and large ensembles, and musical organizations all over the globe. He was engaged by several major orchestras and ensembles, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra Chamber Players, the Radio Orchestras of Berlin and Paris, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra (Zurich), the National Opera of Greece, and the Berkshire Music Center Orchestra. In 1974 he was engaged as assistant director of contemporary activities at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, and held that position until the summer of 1985. As an enthusiast and performer of new music, Antoniou founded various contemporary music ensembles, including ALEA II at Stanford University; ALEA III, at Boston University; the Philadelphia New Music Group; and the Hellenic Group of Contemporary Music. He also directed the ALEA III International Composition Competition. Furthermore, he held the position of president of the National Greek Composers’ Association and director of the Experimental Stage of National Opera of Greece since 1989.
As a composer, Antoniou wrote more than a hundred and fifty compositions for theatre and film music. Many of Antoniou’s compositions were commissioned by major orchestras around the world. Over two hundred of his works have been published by Bärenreiter Verlag (Germany), G. Schirmer (USA) and Philippos Nakas (Greece). In 2004, he was awarded the Herder Prize from the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S.
In terms of style, Antoniou’s earlier works hesitated at first between a simple atonality and Bartókian folklorism. He later developed serial techniques and applied them in various refined forms, which continue to characterize his works. In the 1970s, the influences of Jani Christou, Bernd Alois Zimmermann, and Krzysztof Penderecki became evident in his works.