Pavlos Kanellakis

George Kontogiorgos: Kaleidoscope / Casonata / Elegy 1980 / Emotions Pavlos Kanellakis

In these works for guitar, George Kontogiorgos explores melodic fragments from the ballades he wrote in his youth and uses them in a classical setting. These pieces are mostly tonal and deeply communicative - Sea Vespers evokes lazy days by the sea, while the dance-like Cansonata is a songful duo for guitar and cello. Kaleidoscope often refers to the musical style of the 1960s and 1970s when the guitar was the dominant instrument in pop and rock music, whereas Elegy 1980 and Emotions draw out darker and more dramatic musical landscapes. Having worked closely with Kontogiorgos, these performances by Pavlos Kanellakis are both idiomatic and definitive.