DA VINCI PUBLISHINGGiorgos Koumendakis: Point of No Return

Additional information

Artist(s)	Konstantinos Terzakis, Osmosis Saxophone Quartet, Theofilos Sotiriades, Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, Vassilis Varvaresos
Composer(s)	Giorgos Koumendakis
EAN Code	7.46160920580
Edition	Da Vinci Classics
Format	1 Cd
Genre	Chamber, Instrumental, Orchestra
Instrumentation	Saxophone Quartet, String Orchestra, Tenor Saxophone
Period	Contemporary
Publication year	2026

Description

In recent years, Greek traditional music has become the driving force behind Giorgos Koumendakis’s compositional work. He reinvents, reorganises and recomposes traditional musical themes while preserving their energy and subtlety, following in the footsteps of the ‘anonymous’, borderless composers who created folk songs. As this material passes through the composer’s hands, it inevitably absorbs something of his personality (the ‘dose’ being determined by the material itself and by the mood shaped through countless hearings of the music, as the sound gradually takes shape on the page). These greater or lesser doses of personal expression leave no room for a return to what has already been acquired.
The composer follows two ways of working with traditional musical material. The first, less frequent, is to borrow a piece intact from tradition, to recognise its value and strength, and then to reimagine it from another perspective, as in Point of No Return, which is based on two songs from Smyrna. The second is for the material to emerge from memory, and the composer attempts to reconstruct it through what has reached him as a recollection of colour, pulse and energy, as in Typewriter Tune for saxophone quartet, among other works. In this case, he does not reproduce the melody itself, but rather the traces it has left behind. This path is a descent into the instinctive, unconscious side of tradition. It becomes a ritual that highlights the power of primordial sound and the insistence of short, repetitive musical phrases full of colour and mysticism. Over time, in the act of writing, these phrases are transformed so that they come to sound improvisatory. Every musical event, with its swirling embellishments, is never quite the same, and no musical moment logically prepares the next. In other words, we are faced with a psychoacoustic process that turns sound into a source of life, into a unique experience.
In this digital album, inspiration is drawn from tradition, and the saxophone provides the thread linking the four works in a non-linear journey from large form (string orchestra) to smaller forces (saxophone quartet and solo saxophone). The choice of the saxophone is linked both to the qualities of an instrument distinguished by its particular expressiveness, transformative power and energy (its crucial role in folk music traditions worldwide is undeniable) and to the human factor: the composer’s deep appreciation of performers. The saxophonist Theofilos Sotiriades was the catalyst for the composer’s acquaintance with, and systematic exploration of, the virtues and exotic world of this reed instrument with a brass body.

The Pedal Tone of a Middle-Aged Man (2009)
The Pedal Tone of a Middle-Aged Man (2009), Concerto No. 4 for piano, saxophone quartet and string orchestra, is the first work in the cycle of drones. The work belongs to a group exploring the Byzantine ison (a term in Byzantine music denoting the continuous ‘holding’ of a single note as accompaniment to the main melody). This riveting drone lifts us into metaphysical realms: a divine foundation upon which human beings build their spiritual essence; the fundamental note of every harmony; the primordial creation that redeems and forgives human weakness.
The piece is a personal autobiographical narrative, an emotional record of thoughts arising from the transition between youth and old age. The cadenza in the middle of the work, based on a table song from Thrace, marks a high point in this musical narrative. The composer does not choose at random the moment when everyone is gathered round the table, when calm prevails, emotions settle, maturity is expressed effortlessly, and song takes over cathartically, offering relief from the blows and setbacks of life.
It is no coincidence, either, that in the final part the pedal tone is performed by the voices of the musicians. For the composer, it is difficult to borrow a Byzantine melody and strip it of its ritual essence. He therefore takes its foundation, the ison, and weaves above it the ‘table melody’, likewise a sacred conclusion and communal expression, fulfilled around a table shared with relatives and friends.

Typewriter Tune (2006)
Typewriter Tune for saxophone quartet (2006) belongs to the cycle of works under the general title Typewriter Tunes, which attempt to decode, in musical terms, letters sent to different recipients. Each work passes something of its world on to the next, creating a continuity whose beginning is lost in the centuries, whose present is not static, and whose future looks towards the supremacy of evolution. In Typewriter Tune for saxophone quartet, the recipient is the film Faces (1968) by the Greek-American director John Cassavetes. The work is dominated by the treatment of the extrovert and proud dance ‘Koniali’ from Ikonio in Cappadocia, which is musically transformed in the same way that the emotional world of Cassavetes’s Faces is in constant flux. Just as the film’s four characters come to terms with their weaknesses after a series of intense emotional confrontations, so too in this quartet the thematic material, while initially in accord with its traditional core, is then interrupted, deconstructed and fragmented through different musical idioms, culminating in an extensive but fully ‘transfigured’ coda.
The work is published by the Hellenic Music Centre.

Forget Me Not (2007)
In Forget Me Not for solo alto saxophone (2007), which also belongs to the Typewriter Tunes cycle, the recipient is the forget-me-not flower. Throughout the piece, the tsamikos dance underlies the music without ever asserting itself autonomously. The title’s play on words between the literal meaning and the flower itself evokes the fragility of the delicate blossom and the uncertainty of an ephemeral friendship. The work is dedicated to Theofilos Sotiriades and published by the Hellenic Music Centre.

Point of No Return (2020)
The work was originally written for string quartet. In the saxophone quartet version, transcribed by Antonis Fotiadis, it acquired—because of the particularities of breathing—a new timbral and expressive dimension, almost otherworldly. Once again, the connection with tradition is evident, as the composer borrows two very well-known Smyrna songs from the 1920s and 1930s: Smyrneiko Minore (1919), sung by Marika Papagkika (1890–1943), and Manaki Manaki Mou (1926). The Smyrnaic song, with its Oriental roots, predates rebetiko and, to a significant extent, influenced it. Mixed rhythms, a key stylistic feature of the East, and the amanes (a peculiar monophonic, drawn-out, passionate song in which the Turkish word aman, meaning mercy and compassion, is repeated) lead to an ecstatic pas de deux between two poles—East and West—that seems to seek peace and reconciliation.
The original work for string quartet is published by the Hellenic Music Centre.
Theofilos Sotiriades © 2026
Resources: Giorgos Koumendakis, Hellenic Music Centre
GIORGOS KOUMENDAKIS

Artist(s)

Konstantinos Terzakis
Appointed Assistant Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for the 2022/23 season and winner of the Orchestra Prize at the 16th Mitropoulos Conducting Competition, Konstantinos Terzakis has distinguished himself in symphonic, operatic, and contemporary repertoire. A Lucerne Festival Fellow Conductor in 2022, he has also taken part in major international competitions, including the Siemens Hallé International Conducting Competition in 2023, where he reached the semi-finals, as well as the 19th Donatella Flick Conducting Competition with the London Symphony Orchestra.
In 2024, he won first place in the Athens State Symphony Orchestra’s Guest Conducting Audition, securing future collaborations with the ensemble. His recent débuts include appearances with the Hellenic Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Megaron Concert Hall, the Athens State Orchestra, and the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, alongside forthcoming recordings with TETTIX.
Over the past two seasons, Terzakis has conducted numerous ballet and opera productions in Greece, including Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Beethoven’s Fidelio, Delibes’ ballet Coppélia, and Shchedrin’s Carmen, while also returning to the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group for new music recordings and further developing his relationship with both the Athens and Thessaloniki State Orchestras.
Following his operatic début with the Greek National Opera in Puccini’s La Bohème, he returned this season to conduct the international Opera Awards 2025 and Bizet’s Carmen, and also made his début at the Herodion Theatre, conducting a Ballet Gala.

Osmosis Saxophone Quartet
The Osmosis Saxophone Quartet was founded in 2022 by four saxophonists from Greece and Cyprus, all distinguished both as soloists and as dedicated educators, who joined forces with the shared aspiration of advancing saxophone chamber music throughout the eastern Mediterranean. At the heart of the ensemble’s artistic identity lies a twofold aim: on the one hand, to revive hidden, neglected, or insufficiently known works within the repertoire; on the other, to encourage living composers to contribute new works to the medium, thereby enriching and expanding the contemporary saxophone quartet literature.
Since its foundation, the quartet has developed a significant artistic presence both in concert performance and in broader cultural activity. It has appeared as soloist in collaboration with the State Symphony Orchestra of Thessaloniki and has performed at a number of important venues and institutions, including the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, the Cultural Festival of the University of Cyprus, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and the Archaeological Museum of Chania in Crete. Its activity has also extended beyond Greece and Cyprus, with performances in Tartu and Viljandi, Estonia, thus reflecting the ensemble’s growing international outlook.
Among its recent distinctions, the quartet was invited to perform at the official inauguration dinner marking the Cypriot Presidency of the European Union, a notable occasion that further confirmed its visibility within a wider institutional and cultural context. It also took part in the world première of the production To have been so close so many times by the Greek National Opera Ballet in Belgrade, Serbia, performing music by the renowned Greek composer Giorgos Koumendakis. This participation further demonstrated the ensemble’s openness to interdisciplinary collaboration and its engagement with contemporary artistic creation at a high level.
Alongside its concert activity, the quartet is equally committed to teaching and to the transmission of knowledge and experience to younger generations of saxophonists. In this respect, its educational work forms an essential complement to its performing life. Through the annual Osmosis Saxophone Summer Academy, held at the Synthesis Art Center in Nea Moudania, in the region of Halkidiki, Greece, the ensemble offers young musicians the opportunity to engage closely with advanced saxophone study, chamber music practice, and artistic exchange. This pedagogical mission is further extended through the quartet’s channel on YouTube channel and other forms of online presence, through which it continues to share its artistic work and educational vision with a broader audience.

Theofilos Sotiriades was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, and initially graduated in Psychology from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. After early studies in classical guitar and a brief experience as an electric bassist in local rock groups, he devoted himself to the saxophone. He graduated with highest distinction from the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, where he studied with Vassilis Vradelis, and continued his training in Paris at the École Nationale de Musique de Créteil with Georges Porte, receiving first prize and a special distinction in the interpretation of contemporary music. During this period, he also won prizes at the Picardie and Leopold Bellan competitions.
In 2006, he completed a Master’s degree in Music Performance at Bowling Green State University in the United States (studio of Dr. John Sampen), where he also served as Assistant Professor of Saxophone. As a performer, he has appeared throughout Europe, Turkey, Ukraine and the United States, taking part in major festivals and congresses including the World Saxophone Congress, the BGSU New Music Festival and the International Computer Music Conference.
As a soloist, he has collaborated with ensembles and orchestras such as the French Saxophone Quintet of Paris, the Lutosławski String Quartet, the Louisiana Sinfonietta, and the State Symphony Orchestra of Thessaloniki. A number of distinguished Greek composers have dedicated works to him, many of which he has given in first performance. His discography includes recordings devoted to contemporary Greek and American repertoire, as well as electroacoustic works such as Atrapos.
He holds a doctorate from the University of Macedonia, where he currently serves as Assistant Professor of Saxophone. His research led to the creation of the Hellenic Saxophone Library, an online archive dedicated to saxophone works by Greek, Cypriot and diaspora composers. He is also founder of several ensembles, and a long-standing teacher at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki.

The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra (TSSO) is one of the major cultural organizations in Greece and the most historic symphonic ensemble in Northern Greece. It was founded in 1959 and currently comprises 108 musicians.

The TSSO honors its role as a public organization by creating music of the highest caliber in an accessible way. Its wide range of activities includes collaborations with highly acclaimed Greek and international artists, the promotion of Greek musical works, the nurturing of talented young Greek artists, and a variety of educational and social initiatives.

It is the most notable symphonic ensemble in the country, regularly recording under world-leading labels such as EMI, BIS Records, NAXOS, Berlin Classics, and Deutsche Grammophon.

The TSSO's recordings have received international acclaim through various awards and glowing reviews, establishing the orchestra as a cultural ambassador of Greece and its rich musical heritage. Its international collaborations have included successful concerts across Europe and in Beijing.

The current Director of the TSSO is Simos Papanas, with Leo McFall serving as its Principal Conductor.

“Varvaresos not only has a natural yet finely honed technique, it springs as one with the wide scope of profound musicianship. Varvaresos engaged his audience with a performance that sizzled from start to finish.” - New York Concert Review
“What I particularly enjoy is the balance he gets between virtuosity and musicality…whatever Varvaresos plays, it is always really beautiful” - Cyprien Katsaris, BBC Magazine

Vassilis Varvaresos has established himself as a versatile and internationally active pianist, combining a distinguished performing career with a wide-ranging artistic profile. Winner of the First Prize at the 1998 Young Concert Artists International Auditions at the age of fourteen, he quickly gained international recognition, with début recitals in New York and Washington receiving critical acclaim. Since his American début at fifteen, he has performed extensively throughout the United States, appearing in major venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Weill and Zankel Halls, the Morgan Library in New York, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and the Kennedy Center in Washington. He was subsequently invited to perform at the White House for President Barack Obama.
In Europe, Varvaresos has appeared in leading concert halls including the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Salle Gaveau in Paris, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. His recital and concerto engagements have brought him to major international festivals such as the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, the Enescu Festival, the Festival des Arcs, the Musicales du Golfe, the SenLiszt Festival of the György Cziffra Foundation, and the Athens Festival. His concerto repertoire includes works by Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Prokofiev, and Ravel, performed with orchestras such as the Orchestre de Normandie, the Freiburg Symphony Orchestra, the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, and the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra. Notable appearances include performances at the Istanbul Music Festival and engagements across Germany and Greece.
Varvaresos has represented Greece internationally, including at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and has been recognised as “Most Promising Young Greek Artist” by the Critics’ Association of Greece. He is also a laureate of the George Enescu International Piano Competition (2014) and the Piano Masters Competition in Monte Carlo (2015).
An accomplished chamber musician, he has appeared at venues such as BOZAR in Brussels, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Diligentia Theatre in The Hague, and the Gasteig in Munich. His collaborators include distinguished musicians such as Michel Dalberto, Henri Demarquette, Nicolas Dautricourt, Noé Inui, Ella van Poucke, and Anastasia Kobekina.
Alongside his performing career, Varvaresos is active as a composer, having written music for ten films and several television series, and as an author, with his book Departure From the Functionality of Syntax receiving the Scholastic Distinction Award at the Juilliard School. He holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the Juilliard School, and completed the prestigious Diplôme d’Artiste-Interprète at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris under the guidance of Michel Dalberto.
His recent discography includes the album V for Valse, released by Aparté, featuring works by Liszt, Scriabin, Schumann, and Ravel. He has also recorded for Navis Classics in collaboration with violinist Noé Inui and baritone Dimitris Tiliakos.

Composer(s)

Giorgos Koumendakis, born in Rethymno, Crete, in 1959, is one of the most gifted and versatile Greek composers. Apart from his numerous pieces of symphonic and chamber music, a large part of his artistic career has been devoted to composing music for the performing arts (theatre, cinema, dance, opera, installations).
He has composed and presented four operas, among which stands out the two-act opera The Murderess (2014, to a libretto by Yannis Svolos, based on Alexandros Papadiamantis' ‘social novella’ under the same title). Commissioned by the Greek National Opera, this work combines the Greek musical tradition with the genre’s contemporary European identity.
Koumendakis’ distinctions date back to 1985, when he was chosen by György Ligeti to compose Symmolpa V. A few months later, he participated in the Venice Biennale. In 1987, he collaborated for the first time with the renowned French ensemble for contemporary music ‘Ensemble InterContemporain’, thus inaugurating an international career that led, in 1992, to the Prix de Rome, an honorary scholarship entailing a year of creative residency at the French Academy in Rome (Villa Medici).
In the same year began his long-standing collaboration with choreographer-director Dimitris Papaioannou and the ‘Edafos Dance Theatre’, which culminated in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, where Koumendakis served as music director, composer, and author of the musical scenario.
He has collaborated with leading figures in the fields of theatre, opera, and dance, such as Karolos Koun, Stefanos Lazaridis, Yannis Houvardas, Roula Pateraki and Rallou Manou.
He has also served as artistic director of the ‘Nikos Skalkotas’ ensemble, the ‘Kyklos Ensemble’, and the Rethymno Rennaissance Festival, as well as the artistic programme manager for the Cultural Foundation of Tinos.
His works have been performed throughout the world, at prestigious concert halls and opera houses like the Salle Olivier Messiaen, Théâtre de l’Archevêché, Teatro La Fenice, Alte Oper, Benesse Museum (Naoshima), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Forbidden City Concert Hall (Beijing), Muziekgebouw aan't IJ (Amsterdam), Auditorio Nacional de Música (Madrird), Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center (Maryland), Piccolo Teatro (Milan) and the Guarnerius Art Centre (Belgrade).
From 2015 to February 2017, he worked as artistic programme manager of the Greek National Opera’s Alternative Stage, planning innovative programmes and productions based on artistic, educational, and social criteria. Since February 2017, he has remained the longest-serving Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera. In 2023, he was appointed Minister of Culture and Sports in the caretaker government of Ioannis Sarmas, and in 2025 he was awarded the honorary title of Honorary President of the Greek Composers' Union.