Theodore Antoniou - Friendly encounters

Theodore Antoniou - Friendly Encounters (2010)
Iwona Glinka, flute
Maxim Mankovskiy, vibraphone
Michail Travlos, video art
Manolis Charos, Elias Delloglou, Pavlos Samios, Kostis Georgiou and Kostas Paniaras, paintings

"The piece Friendly Encounters for flute(s) and vibraphone, written to honor Photis and Melba Kremmydas, on the occasion of the retrospective exhibition organized with works by five major Greek artists: Manolis Charos, Elias Delloglou, Pavlos Samios, Kostis Georgiou and Kostas Paniaras. The exhibition was held in August 2010 at the Kremmyda of Kefalonia, where the piece was performed for the first time by Marilena Dori and Dimitris Desyllas. It is rather difficult to express with the
“abstract” sounds of music your impressions from watching a painting. It is more emotion than adaptation.
It is mostly my reaction to some important features that make a painting stand out.
I. The first part refers to Melba and Photis Kremmydas: cheerful, kind, and generous, like the hosts, the soul of the annual “friendly encounter”.
II. One of Manolis Charos’ paintings, titled “Ionian horizon 5”, led to the idea to play with the numbers 5x5x5 (the subject of the exhibition). Including the number 2 for soloists, and starting with the piece dedicated to the Kremmydas
couple, I created a succession of intervals translating numbers into semitones (C, d, G, C1, f1, Bb1 eb1).
III. The texts and subtle patterns covering the paintings of Elias Delloglou gave me the idea for the ethereal sounds.
IV. The dark colors of Pavlos Samios and the atmosphere of an enclosed space led me to use “shadows”, “echo” and “sound colors”.
V. The bold colors of Kostis Georgiou inspired me to write a dynamic part with clusters, fast passages and improvisation.
VI. Costas Paniaras (the most abstract of all), a constant movement. Colors, Water, Earth. Forms "in motion"."
Theodore Antoniou