Olga’s Songs: flute, bassoon, percussion, strings, and solo soprano

Abstract

In December 1999 attending the Festival of my music in Athens, Greece, my wife and I were invited to a concert of the Baroque Ensemble Kelsos by the soprano and friend of ours Olga Tamvakos. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of the music and the performance of the group as well as the atmosphere of the place where they performed. When Thomas Tamvakos, Olga’s husband asked me to write something for his wife and the group, I was delighted to undertake my first endeavor of a work for a Baroque Ensemble. The present version is written for soprano and chamber orchestra. “Olga’s Songs” is a cycle of three songs inspired by my Greek heritage, which uses rhythms and scales abundant in Greek folk music. The first two were re-working from two former songs of mine and the third, “Olga’s Song,” a new one dedicated to Olga.