Skalkottas - World Premiere Recordings 1

This album presents a selection of world premiere recordings of music by Nikos Skalkottas, the most important Greek composer of the first half of the 20th century. Skalkottas was described by the famous critic and musicologist, Hans Keller, as one of the four "S" of modern music, together with Schoenberg, Stravinsky and Shostakovich. Presented on this album is the first ever recording of a work by Skalkottas, the two Greek Dances recorded in 1949 in Paris by the pianist Tota Economos in the French Radio studios. The famous recording of the Twelve Greek Dances (from the 36 Dances cycle) was made in 1957, until now only available as a monophonic recording, and now released here in real stereophonic sound. The Suite for Orchestra was composed in 1929 in Berlin, but the original score was lost in the composer's hasty departure from Berlin in 1933. The version recorded here uses a recently found score in America, now published by the Hellenic Music Center in Athens (which possesses the totality of Skalkottas's manuscripts). The Return of Odysseus, for two pianos was recorded in 1994 in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory - the version here uses a revised score from 1995.