{"id":8198,"date":"2016-11-18T11:09:18","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T11:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pianostreet.com\/blog\/?p=8198"},"modified":"2016-12-14T11:29:33","modified_gmt":"2016-12-14T11:29:33","slug":"beauty-and-hope-in-the-21st-century","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianostreet.com\/blog\/piano-news\/beauty-and-hope-in-the-21st-century-8198\/","title":{"rendered":"Beauty and Hope in the 21st Century"},"content":{"rendered":"

The recently published compilation “Beauty and Hope in the 21st Century\u201d contains nine contemporary solo piano pieces from internationally renowned composers. \"\"<\/a>All of the works in the collection draw their inspiration from 20th and 21st-century artworks. Piano Street\u2019s Patrick Jovell spoke with the publisher Nikolas Sideris about the project, who also shared his beliefs about society and the music industry in general. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Sideris and Editions Musica Ferrum generously give access to complete scores of new piano pieces from the compilation that are available to download and print for Piano Street members.<\/em><\/p>\n

Digital scores to download and print:<\/strong>
\nNo. 7: Aaron Miller: Beyond Icarus Scott<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

No. 9: Nikolas Sideris: The Kids are our Future<\/a>
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

(Available for Piano Street Gold members.)<\/p>\n

Printed scores<\/strong>
\nThe complete book is available to order from Editions Musica Ferrum<\/a><\/p>\n

Recordings<\/strong>
\nListen to the recordings by Myrto Akrivou of all nine pieces here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Nikolas Sideris is a Greek composer famous for not only his classical compositions but also his work for the soundtracks of popular video games. He currently lives in London, England, and composes and publishes music there. He compared the inspiration he experienced in putting together “Beauty and Hope in the 21st Century” to the state of society and what he sees as a spreading global crisis. Sideris maintains that this crisis stems from the instantaneous dissemination of opinions, both well-reasoned and toxic, that is possible through the Internet. Born in 1977, he has always been interested in the decades of the 1960s and the 1970s. He calls this score of years “the time of absolute heroes\u00a8. During that time, statesmen, top models and movie stars, first-rate popular musicians, and even Nobel laureates had much more of an impact on society than their counterparts today. Sideris says that the great leaders in all categories, not just those he listed, are gone, which has changed the basic direction of society. Now, the general public seeks to lead itself instead of being led. Sideris firmly believes that the public has failed and is now not only dissatisfied with the situation but also with itself.<\/p>\n

Interview with Nikolas Sideris<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Patrick Jovell: How do you see art in a commercial context?<\/p>\n

Nikolas Sideris: We are demanding a sort of international commercial market for the survival of the fittest in a way. <\/p>\n

This is again a worldwide problem where you get all kinds of symphonic orchestras closing down \u2013 in the U.S, for example. But it almost makes sense, I mean; I can understand the value of art certainly as a composer and a publisher and everything. But, art should have a way to sustain itself on its own. It shouldn\u2019t be dependent on handouts from the government or from funds, and this is what I\u2019m trying to do. I\u2019m completely independent. I don\u2019t have any money coming in from any government or funds or whatever. It\u2019s all based on the quality of what I produce; the physical quality and the aesthetic quality.<\/p>\n

PJ: One fact in the crisis of the U.S orchestras is that the sponsor generations now, the rich families have changed preferences. The younger generation of sponsors like rock \u2018n\u2019 roll. So, what can be done?<\/p>\n

NS: Well, there have been attempts in making some sort of a hybrid mode of classical music and rock \u2018n\u2019 roll or merging classical and a little metal, or some rap and so on. I don\u2019t think that his is working truly. We need to have a very clear idea of the major differences between the classical music, live music, and pop music. Pop music is being creative, created and produced to exist as a recorded means. So it\u2019s perfect in any way to listen to it on a CD, in MP3, streaming on your iPad, iPhone, iPod or \u201ciWhatever\u201d. Classical music still goes on being a live event. It\u2019s an event, it\u2019s a social event.<\/p>\n

I find it being completely different and two completely different forms of art. We call both music, but it shouldn\u2019t be. How can you compare theatre to cinema or photography to painting? We should clearly distinguish between what is recorded music and what is live music.<\/p>\n

PJ: According to worldwide statistics, evidently, the live concert is getting more and more popular compared to recorded music.<\/p>\n

NS: Exactly, which is declining constantly. We try to pass it as real music, as real-life music, We use all sorts of techniques in the studio to give the impression that you are in the hall right now listening to that pianist, but it\u2019s not the same and deeply inside I think we understand that and we devalue the recording itself. So there is a strong sense of value in going to listen to a pianist playing live. There is a vital difference, and unless we can actually understand that and respect that, I\u2019m not sure where we\u2019re heading.<\/p>\n

PJ: You did fund \u201cBeauty and Hope\u201d through crowd funding like many do these days. Can you tell me a little about that?<\/p>\n

NS: I didn\u2019t want to find a sponsor. I wanted people to show their interest in the project. I wanted to get enough money; more like a pre-sale rather than a formal or fixed pattern project on paying something. So, my way was; \u201cI\u2019m going to do this, I have this plan so if you want, just pre-buy this music, the CD or whatever and help me out with this.\u00a8<\/p>\n

PJ: Who are the funders, do you know anything about the people supporting you?<\/p>\n

NS: Quite a lot, not everybody, but I know a lot through various forums and Facebook and Twitter and through the online communities I\u2019m part of. Also, a few Greek people who were reluctant to use their credit card saw that in the end, in the last day, I was forced to put a few thousand pounds that were given to me hand by hand from people who were not really sure how to do that. So, in total, there were officially 97 people, but actually there were around more than 112 people involved in the total funding.<\/p>\n

PJ: You started the Editions Musica Ferrum in 2012, and your intention was that you had to get motivation to keep being a composer yourself. Your aim is to find composers working with you, under your umbrella. How is your philosophy as an editor?<\/p>\n

NS: I\u2019m very open to what I publish because I pay attention to small things on my musical criteria, what I love listening to. Something that I would love to listen to or play. Everybody is a living composer, and I\u2019m dealing with around 50 living composers internationally. Composers come from Brazil, Columbia, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, UK, Greece and I need to know that they respect what I do. I respect what they do and so we can communicate.<\/p>\n

Once in a while, I try to get a project that will sell well because not everything will start selling, it won\u2019t go off the shelves immediately. I know that it takes an enormous amount of time to get things out there. So I’m being patient, I have a few projects which are running quite well, which generate enough income to keep us going.<\/p>\n

PJ: Do you have an emphasis when it comes to chamber music, instrumental or choral music?<\/p>\n

NS: It tends to go for piano because I\u2019m a pianist myself. But under no circumstances, I\u2019m just catering to that. For example I published a solo bassoon piece by Fabio Gianolla, and it\u2019s an incredible piece, ancient Italian dances and modern dances. So it has a few dances of the old and a tango and dance from the Aborigines in Australia, and it\u2019s fabulous work. It was worth getting it out. Chamber music or orchestral stuff yes, but again there is a limit in the sense of how much orchestral stuff I can do. Because I know that it won\u2019t sell to the general public unless I can find a way to pitch it to different orchestras, it will not generate money. You have to think about money as well. But of course, I have a few orchestral works and I\u2019m expecting more to come later on. It\u2019s a combination of everything.<\/p>\n

PJ: Are you an acting part when the composer is receiving commissions, or is it handled by the composer himself\/herself?<\/p>\n

NS: Well, the composer is more inclined generally because that would be a job for an agent and I\u2019m not an agent by any means. I can\u2019t be an agent of 50 people, especially as I\u2019m a publisher and a composer myself. But for example, \u201cThe Beauty and Hope in the 21st century Score\u201d was a commission from me to another eight composers plus myself. And there are a couple of more projects and ideas coming on which are invitations for more composers to take part. So, that also works.<\/p>\n

PJ: Let\u2019s talk about the pianist in the project; Myrto Akrivou. I understand that you knew her from years back?<\/p>\n

NS: Not too many years. I moved back to Athens \u2013 I was in London from 2004 to 2008 \u2013 I did my PhD. When I got back, I realized that there are no opportunities for composers in Greece, and because I really wanted to present my music in the best possible way, I launched Musica Ferrum. Amidst launching it and trying to get it presented to more people, I started going to concerts and this is where I met with Myrto through this friend. We started working on some duets of mine which I call \u00a8Piano Stories\u00a8 and they eventually got an award in Luxembourg in 2013 (in an International composition competition), so that went well.<\/p>\n

Then I had this idea that it\u2019s going to be a grand project, we\u2019re going to get Myrto to Athens, and we\u2019re going to do the recording, we\u2019re going to do the CD, and they are going to be not so very hard pieces. Maybe I lied, I mean, they are definitely hard to play (laughs). She was reluctant at first, but then she gave in. She was a real collaborator because we worked in many different ways together. She wasn\u2019t just the pianist, and she got the gig to do the recording. This is what I really wanted Myrto, because I knew that we would work really close together.<\/p>\n

No. 3: “The Voice of the People” Carlos Alvarez Torno performed by Myrto Akrivou:<\/strong><\/p>\n