Spyridon Samaras - Tigra; Epinikeia; Chitarrata (Byron Fidetzis)

Information

Composer: Spyridon Samaras

• Tigra (arr. Byron Fidetzis)
• Epinikeia
• Chitarrata

Lenia Safiropoulou; Marissia Papalexiou; Maria Vlachopoulou

Angelo Simos; Dionysios Sourbis; Dimitri Kavrakos

Sofia Metropolitan Golden Voices Mixed and Children's Choir

Sofia Amadeus Orchestra

Varvara Tsambali, mezzo-soprano

Fretted String Ensemble of the Corfu Music School

Pazardzhik Symphony Orchestra

Byron Fidetzis, conductor

Date: 2024

Label: Naxos

-----------------------------------------------------------

Review

Trained by Massenet, Delibes and Gounod, Spyridon Samaras (1861-1917) is best known today as the composer of the Olympic anthem. During his lifetime he was admired above all for his operas, which have since fallen into oblivion.

Tigra is a love story set in medieval Venice, and its music has a distinctly Franco-Italian flavor, with beautiful arias and magnificent ensemble scenes.

The conductor of this recording, Byron Fidetzis, orchestrated the work in 2009 and conducts it on this album at the head of the Bulgarian Sofia Amadeus Orchestra, which plays with great commitment.

The Greek vocal ensemble is disappointing on the male side, but offers very good female voices, among which the soprano Lenia Safiropoulou stands out with her warm, radiant tone.

After the victorious outcome of the Balkan Wars (1912-13) for Greece, Samaras composed the victory hymn Epinikeia, based on texts by Georgios Drosinis. It consists of seven poems set to operatic music. Once again, the quality of the vocal soloists is striking. Mezzo-soprano Varvara Tsambali sings with moving sensitivity.

The quality of the recording leaves something to be desired, as the choirs sound rather muffled, which puts the children’s choir in Tigra at a particular disadvantage.

— Remy Franck

-----------------------------------------------------------

Spyridon Samaras (29 November 1861 – 7 April 1917) was a Greek composer known for his operas. Born in Corfu and ducated in Athens and Paris, where he studied under leading composers and became a protégé of Jules Massenet, he later built a successful career in Italy. His operas, including Flora mirabilis and La martire, were widely performed across Europe and beyond. Returning to Greece in 1911, he faced limited recognition and turned to operettas. Samaras is best remembered for composing the Olympic Anthem for the 1896 Games, later adopted officially in 1958. He died in Athens at the age of 55.

***

Byron Fidetzis (born 1945 in Thessaloniki) is a Greek cellist and conductor. He studied cello and music theory in Thessaloniki before continuing his education in Vienna, where he earned diplomas in both cello performance and orchestral conducting. Fidetzis has held prominent roles with major ensembles, including the Athens State Orchestra and Greek National Opera, and has led the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra since 2016. He is also known for recordings of Greek composers with Naxos. His achievements have been recognized with major awards and an honorary doctorate from the University of Athens.

-----------------------------------------------------------