Cinderella waltzes again!

[vkioulaphides]

Greetings, all.

Last spring, the brilliant young Dutch mandolinist Ferdinand Binnendijk was a prize-winner at the illustrious Princess Christina Competition in his native Netherlands. Part of that prize was a performance with the Orkest van het Oosten, one of Holland's professional symphony orchestras.

At that time, I happened to be working on a rather ambitious —TOO ambitious?— Mandolin Concerto, which in fact I finished on time for it to serve, at least hypothetically, as his vehicle for those eventual performances. Yet life rarely runs according to plan— the randomness of the universe, and all that.

The orchestra had already decided on its own, thematic programming so, when negotiations began, they essentially stipulated what the piece should be for this segment of their concert-series: not a wildly ambitious, bat-for-the-rafters, all-out concerto, but something shorter (10´), appropriate for a young audience, and on the theme of Cinderella.

So I set out to compose something altogether new —the very same day I had just delivered the full, 154-page score of the Concerto. Ultimately, however, it turned out to be a far happier occasion than I had first thought that morning, when I got the news (and was looking for the nearest sharp object to slit my wrists with).

The new work that ensued is titled Like a Dream... and is scored for mandolin and string-orchestra. It consists of a slow introduction, a rather pathetique middle-section in a characteristically operatic tempo di mezzo, and of course the sine qua non waltz at the end—she does make it to the ball, doesn't she? The final section is a set of "ghost variations", i.e. a "theme-less" set of variations, where the theme itself is never heard— only sensed, subliminally. Said "inaudible theme", courtesy of Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Here is the link for the three performances coming up next month.

http://www.orkestvanhetoosten.nl/nl/...nt=0&locatie=0

I will leave further commentary to Alex and/or to Ferdinand. I am as happy as could be with the outcome. Let us see how happy the audiences are with what I came up with...

Cheers,

Victor

[garypaynephoto]

Wow, Victor, sounds great. Can't wait to hear it (somehow)! May the glass slipper fit!!

[vkioulaphides]

May the glass slipper fit!!

Oh, I'm sure it will! If a teeny-tiny mandolin can fit in the Ferdinand's hands, the glass slipper won't be any problem at all.

And of course the slipper fit because it was charmed—as is the mandolin in the hands of a young man with lots and lots of talent, plus the drive and dedication to make something truly grand of it.

Cheers,

Victor

[Alex Timmerman]

Hi Victor and all,

PR for Victor's new composition 'Like a Dream' for Mandolin and String Orchestra with Ferdinand as the soloist, is rolling now.
See the attached photo .

Best, Alex.

[Graham McDonald]

I do like the listing of composers:
Rossini
Kodaly
Kioudaphides
Dvorak



graham

[vkioulaphides]

Nothing beats being in good company!

If I have had one, concrete, fully articulated ambition in my composing career, it has been to see my works share the stage with such "repertory" works as their companions on this occasion; it has never been my wish to write for the "specialty" audience of new music.

But I digress...

It should be a lovely program, and I look forward to hearing all pieces on the program. It will also be refreshing to be on the ~other~ side of the conductor, just this once.

Cheers,

Victor

[Margriet]

And how she waltzed !!!

on the strings of Ferdinand, and on the pizzicato's of the basses.

What lovely piece, Victor !

The premiere was in a familyconcert. The big theatre room was full of families, I guess there were more than 500 children.

It was a nice program, where Victor was in the company of the composers Rossini, Kodály and Dvorak, the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (new name for "Het Orkest van het Oosten") was huge. Two actors played with men-size puppets to tell the story of Cinderella, in the version of Roald Dahl. Rossini's La Cenerentola was the ouverture. With Kodály's Galanta dances the story unrolled, in all its facets: dark, fiercely, with humorous moments. The music, the story acted, the movements, it came all together.
Suddenly there was............ The prince !!!!!! (Ferdinand)
"Like a Dream" was really like a dream. The more meditative, transparant and sweet part of the concert. No acting during that piece, just prince Ferdinand playing that beautiful piece, with a part of the big orchestra. We could be aware of all the children around us, attracked, and coming in their dreaming part of their conscious, quiet breathing. After the concert Ferdinand had to give away many signatures!
The story finished with Dvorak's Noon Witch, with a love scene of Cinderella with the prince ( that had come out it wasn't Ferdinand), and the prince looking for the real Cinderella, whom would fit the right (!) lost foot.

Victor, thanks for "Like a Dream" !
Here it was a part of the concert, but in itself it is whole. I hope and wish that it may have a good life, after this birth, and that it may reach the ears and the hearts of many others! This said by one of the fairy godmothers, who stood around the cradle of this newborn and in fairy tales these wishes are strong and to come true!

Margriet

[vkioulaphides]

Thank you, dear Margriet! It was indeed a dream, not at all "like"one! It was also a sheer delight to see you again, you and so many others...

And the powers of those benevolent fairy godmothers should NEVER be underestimated!

Cheers,

Victor

[Alex Timmerman]

Hi Margriet and all,

Thank you for the lovely review above!

As for yesterday evening, the 2nd concert in the Music Centre in Enschede, here is a photo made right after the concert; again a standing ovation for the Netherlands Symphonie Orchestra (Orkest van het Oosten), conductor Theo Wolters, the puppet players of the Theater Gnaffel, Ferdinand Binnendijk and our 'own' Victor Kioulaphides.

Fantastic! I am very happy so see Victor's new composition 'Like a Dream...' and Ferdinand's interpretation of it, so well appreciated!
Most of the young children (between 6 and 12 years old) could simply not sit still; you saw them moving in the Walz in Victor's music. Wonderful!


Like the day before in Zwolle, it was a concert enjoyed again by many, many children and their parents. A concert also that showed the mandolin as a real concert instrument! Thanks to Ferdinand!


Best greetings to you all,

Alex.

[Schlegel]

Is there by any chance a recording of this performance? I, for one would love to hear Victor's composition but traveling to Europe is not in the cards.

[vkioulaphides]

Most of the young children (between 6 and 12 years old) could simply not sit still; you saw them moving in the Walz in Victor's music. Wonderful!

Indeed, the best (and sincerest) "review" I ever got for my compositions was looking at two young girls a couple of rows in front of us, waltzing in their seats to the music.

You can't beat that. If you have reached people this way, all those endless hours of solitary brain-beating have not been in vain. This is "success", if anything is, IMHO.

Today, the final, "ripest" performance. Again, much to look forward to, as the piece is maturing to the point that it seems as if Ferdinand and the orchestra are making it up on the spot. Happy to feel that my scribbling has been subsumed into something greater, deeper, more human than black dots on paper...

Cheers to one and all,

Victor