In sæcula sæculorum

The trumpet, the trombone and the organ, individually or in combination, have been used in places of worship for centuries, while many composers and clergymen have likened these instruments to the voice of God. The concert featuring the trio of distinguished musicians Spyros Arkoudis, George Krimperis and Irini Anastasiou fuses Gregorian chant with 21st-century music. The programme includes Gregorian chants written for the days of Holy Week, imbued with the appropriate sense of spirituality and solemnity. The monophonic pieces are performed by the wind instruments and the harmonised hymns by the organ and trombone, while the 21st-century pieces include prayers and variations on Gregorian themes.

Programme

Anonymous (Gregorian chant)
Pueri Hebraeorum
Tota pulchra es Maria
Crux fidelis
Credo IV

Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000)
Prayer of Saint Gregory, op. 62b (1946)
for organ solo

Christian Lindberg (b. 1958)
Hodie cantandus est
from Variations on Two Gregorian Chants from Kloster Neuburg (1958)
for trombone solo

Henri Tomasi (1901-1971)
Variations grégoriennes sur un Salve Regina (Gregorian Variations on a Salve Regina, 1964)
for trumpet and organ

Anonymous (Gregorian chant)
Popule meus

Oskar Lindberg (1887-1955)
Gammal fäbodpsalm från Dalarna (Old Cattle Pasture Hymn from Dalarna, 1936)
for organ solo

Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)
Vater unser (Our Father, 2005 / rev. 2011)

Ola Gheilo (b. 1978)
Northern Lights (2007)
Arrangement: Irini Anastasiou

BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Irini Anastasiou

Born and raised in Athens. She took her first piano lessons at the age of 10. Since 2006 she studied with Alexandra Papastefanou at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory, where she received her diploma in 2014 with honours and 2nd Prize. Additionally, she has attended piano seminars with András Kemenes and André Marchand. In 2014, after achieving her diploma, she began organ lessons with the cantor of the German Church of Athens, Christos Paraskevopoulos. She has been working as an organist at the Catholic Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite since 2018, and is also responsible for the artistic direction of the events that take place at the church. She has performed numerous concerts at venues such as Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, the Catholic Cathedral Basilica of St Dionysius the Areopagite etc. She has also collaborated with many chamber music ensembles, music festivals and orchestras such as the National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of Colours. She teaches piano at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory.

Arkoudis Spyros

Born in Corfu in 1985, Spyros Arkoudis began his musical studies at the Kinopiastes Philharmonic Society with Georgios Arkoudis as a teacher. He continued his studies at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory, in the class of Sokratis Anthis, where he received the trumpet diploma with honours in 2007. In 2003, he was admitted to the Department of Music Studies of the Ionian University and in 2005 he attended trumpet classes at the Freiburg Academy, with Professors Antony Plog and Ewald Antoni under the ERASMUS programme. In 2007, he was admitted to the Music Academy of Hannover, in the trumpet class of Jeroen Berwaerts, from where he graduated with grade 1 (Excellent) in 2011. He has collaborated with the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra , the Athens State Orchestra , the Corfu Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of Colours, the Municipal Symphony Orchestra of Athens, the Camerata – Armonia Atenea, the Hannover State Opera, the North West German Philharmonic and the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra. Today, he is a member of the Melos Brass Ensemble and the Principal Trumpet of the National Symphony Orchestra of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation.

Krimperis George

Graduated from the Philippos Nakas Conservatory in 2006 with distinction and 2nd prize. He continued his studies at the Codarts Rotterdam with Jörgen van Rijen and Pierre Volders. He has won several prizes in international competitions and has performed as a soloist with orchestras, chamber music ensembles and trombone festivals such as Slide Factory, SliderAsia and Arm-Bone Festival. He has performed in the most prestigious concert halls such as Berlin Philharmonic, Wiener Musikverein, Carnegie Hall in New York, Tchaikovsky Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, etc. Since December 2010 he has been appointed Principal Trombone in the National Symphony Orchestra of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation. He is the founder and organiser of the Greek Trombone Days and a member of the Melos Brass Quintet. In 2023 he published his first book, Trombone, a complete guide for all levels. He is an artist of the company Antoine Courtois, a member of Buffet Crampon.