Εxpanded Piano IΙ

Alternative Stage founding donor

Alternative Stage sponsor: PPC (Public Power Company)

A co-production with

“Imagine being inside the piano. Imagine the piano expanding to the size of a concert hall.”

Internationally acclaimed composer Stavros Gasparatos will present his new piece Expanded Piano ΙΙ at the GNO Alternative Stage in the SNFCC, in two unique concerts on 20 and 21 June, at 20.30. It is an artistic work inspired by the mechanical theory of prepared piano, reevaluating and subverting it.

Ten years after the premiere of the piece Expanded Piano at the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) in New York, Stavros Gasparatos continues his research on the ever-evolving nature of the piano, with the goal of expanding its performance possibilities and exploring new ways of utilizing it. In the context of this experimental process of sound production and use of composition tools, his work is based on new sensory means that develop earlier techniques invented by pioneering creators, from John Cage to Aphex Twin. He introduces a “hybrid” instrument that gives performers exceptional musical flexibility. More elements have been added to the new piece, such as visual projections of light and images that interact with the sound environment, creating a multi-layered and intricate experience.

The research was conducted with the support of the Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the LabMAT Music Acoustics & Technology Workshop of the Department of Music Studies of the University of Athens.

Stavros Gasparatos is a composer, sound artist and curator. Apart from his solo projects, he creates music for dance, theatre, and cinema. His music has been performed in prestigious venues in Greece and abroad, including New York, Los Angeles, London, Berlin, Munich, Toronto, Sofia, Amsterdam, Paris, Naples, and many other cities. He has composed music for over two hundred productions and is regarded as one of the most significant and prolific Greek composers.

Gasparatos composes minimalistic, orchestral, and experimental music. He also creates special sound installations. Since 2017, he has served as the artistic coordinator of the Greek National Opera’s Transmedia Lab. His works include: Entre Deux Actes (Ménage À Quatre) by Nairy Baghramian and Maria Hassabi (Performance 19 – New York); Recess, with a choreography by Jonah Bokaer (BAM – New York); Expanded Piano (a solo piece at EMPAC Troy N.Y.); the music for the inauguration ceremony of the new Acropolis Museum in Athens; Bodies and Structure with a choreography by Alexandra Waierstall (Tanzhaus NRW, Düsseldorf).

Starting in 2023 Stavros Gasparatos has taken on the role of the curator of the Subset Festival – a new platform showcasing experimental music and new media within the framework of the Athens Epidaurus Festival.

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Audiovisual content from the presentations of the piece  Εxpanded Piano I at the Athens Concert Hall and EMPAC, New York.

The production was funded by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture

'Funded by the European Union' and the Goethe-Institut;
'This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union'