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John Psathas (1966-     )

John Psathas, composerJohn Psathas is one of New Zealand's most frequently performed composers, his work being played in dozens of countries every year. In his music one can hear both Western classical tradition as well as the kinetic enthusiasm found in jazz and folk music. The composer's personal artistic vision was first realized comprehensively in his debut album Rhythm Spike released by Rattle Records and picked as NZ Classical Album of the Year. However he may best be known for being chosen from more than 600 international composers to write and arrange 13 pieces of music for the Athens Olympics, including the official fanfares and ceremonial music during the opening and closing ceremonies. He has also collaborated with Evelyn Glennie, Pedro Carneiro, Michael Brecker, Joshua Redman, The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, The Halle Orchestra, The Takacas Quartet as well as many of New Zealand's leading performance ensembles. Psathas has written extensively for Evelyn Glennie, who, in her New York debut devoted nearly half her programme to Psathas pieces. His percussion orientated pieces, Matre's Dance and Drum Dances, are well on the way to becoming standard repertoire. Closer to home, Psathas has written for New Zealand's leading and chamber groups. His music is energetic and vibrant, with a passionate exuberance that is a product of his Greek heritage. His compositional style is difficult to define as each piece is unique and creates its own musical language, but regardless of the medium, there is a constant intensity and immediacy in his writing.

COMPOSITIONS                                             Psathas Links     ~ ~ ~     Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Psathas on Psathas
Waiting for the Aeroplane, piano  (1988-90)
Shocked Awake, piano (1991)
Matre’s Dance, percussion and piano (1991-94)
Zeal, piano duo (1992)
Percussion Concerto, 4 percussion soli and orchestra (1992-2001? - rev.)
Drum Dances, drum kit and piano (1993)
Rhythm Spike, piano (1994)
Overture, brass and percussion (1994)
Baw My Barne, solo voices or chorus (1995)
Calenture, electric guitar and 2 pianos (1995)
Island Songs, clarinet, cello and piano (1995)
Stream 3, large chamber ensemble (1996)
Abhisheka, string quartet (1996) [used for ballet by Royal New Zealand Ballet, 2004]
Island Songs: Piano Trio (1996)
Happy Tachyons, marimba, vibraphone and piano (1996)
Nocturnes, sax quartet and percussion (1997)
Te Papa Fanfare, brass and percussion (1997) [arr. by Lloydd, brass band, 2002]
Motet, piano duet (1997)
Stream 3.3, chamber ensemble and digital audio playback (1998)
Manurewa Fanfare, wind orchestra (1998)
Seikilos, orchestra (1998)
Spike, marimba, vibraphone and piano (1998)
Luminous, orchestra (1999)
Jettatura, piano (1999)
Terra, chamber ensemble (1999)
Saxon, brass band (1999)
Piano Quintet, piano and string quartet (2000)
Omnifenix, tenor sax, drum kit and orchestra (2000)
Fragment, piano duet (2001)
View from Olympus, double concerto, percussion, piano and orchestra (2001)
Psyzygysm, percussion and chamber ensemble (2001)
Fragment, vibraphone and piano (2001) [percussion version]
Orpheus in Rarohenga, soprano, tenor, baritone, chorus and orchestra (2002)
Three Psalms, piano, percussion, harp and string orchestra (2003)
Zeibekiko, wind ensemble (2003)
Mal Occhio, chamber ensemble (2003)
Kartsigar, string quartet (2004)
Mayors’ Exit, orchestra (2004)
Pyros I, chorus and orchestra (2004)
Torch Journey Around the World, orchestra (2004) [ Debussy: Le Roi Lear]
Fanfare for Oaths II, brass and percussion (2004)
Fanfare for Oaths I, brass, percussion and string orchestra (2004)
Fanfare for Speeches (opening), orchestra (2004)
Walk of the Presidents, brass, percussion and string orchestra (2004)
Fanfare for IOC and ATHOC Presidents, brass, percussion and string orchestra (2004)
Zahara, saxophone (soprano/tenor) and orchestra (2005)
Ukiyo, vibraphone, marimba and digital audio playback (2005)
One Study One Summary, marimba, junk percussion and digital audio playback (2005)
Helix, piano trio (2006)
Sleeper, piano (2007)
Planet Damnation, timpani and orchestra (2007)
Abhisheka: String Orchestra (2008) [choreographed as a ballet by Adrian Burnett]
Four Ancient Greek Songs, large chamber ensemble (2008)
A Cool Wind, string quartet (2008)
Djinn, concerto for marimba, strings, percussion and harp (2009)
Waiting Still, piano and gamelan musician (2009)
View from Olympus, documentary film score (2011)
Good for Nothing, film score (2011)
White Lies, film score (2013)


WORKS BY GENRE                                                        Psathas Links    ~ ~ ~    Psathas on Psathas     ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
Abhisheka, ballet (2004) [based on original work for string quartet, 1996]

Orchestra

Overture, brass and percussion (1994)
Manurewa Fanfare, wind orchestra (1998)
Seikilos, orchestra (1998)
Luminous, orchestra (1999)
Mayors’ Exit, orchestra (2004) [for 2004 Olympics]
Torch Journey Around the World, orchestra (2004) [Debussy: Le Roi Lear]
Fanfare for Oaths II, brass and percussion (2004)
Fanfare for Oaths I, brass, percussion and string orchestra (2004)
Fanfare for Speeches (opening), orchestra (2004)
Walk of the Presidents, brass, percussion and string orchestra (2004)
Fanfare for IOC and ATHOC Presidents, brass, percussion and string orchestra (2004)
Abhisheka: String Orchestra (2008) [choreographed as a ballet by Adrian Burnett]

Band
Te Papa Fanfare, brass and percussion (1997) [arr. by Lloydd, brass band, 2002]
Saxon, brass band (1999)
Zeibekiko, wind ensemble (2003)

Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Manurewa Fanfare, wind orchestra (1998)
Percussion Concerto, 4 percussion soli and orchestra (1992-2001? - rev.)
Omnifenix, tenor sax, drum kit and orchestra (2000)
View from Olympus, double concerto, percussion, piano and orchestra (2001)
Psyzygysm, percussion and chamber ensemble (2001)
Three Psalms, piano, percussion, harp and string orchestra (2003)
Zahara, saxophone (soprano/tenor) and orchestra (2005)
Planet Damnation, timpani and orchestra (2007)
Djinn, concerto for marimba, strings, percussion and harp (2009)

Chorus w/Orchestra
Orpheus in Rarohenga, soprano, tenor, baritone, chorus and orchestra (2002)
Pyros I, chorus and orchestra (2004)

Choral
Baw My Barne, solo voices or chorus (1995)

Large Ensemble
Overture, brass and percussion (1994)
Stream 3, large chamber ensemble (1996)
Te Papa Fanfare, brass and percussion (1997) [arr. by Lloydd, brass band, 2002]
Stream 3.3, chamber ensemble and digital audio playback (1998)
Terra, chamber ensemble (1999)
Psyzygysm, percussion and chamber ensemble (2001)
Mal Occhio, chamber ensemble (2003)
Fanfare for Oaths II, brass and percussion (2004)
Four Ancient Greek Songs, large chamber ensemble (2008)

Chamber
Matre’s Dance, percussion and piano (1991-94)
Drum Dances, drum kit and piano (1993)
Calenture, electric guitar and 2 pianos (1995)
Island Songs, clarinet, cello and piano (1995)
Abhisheka, string quartet (1996) [used for ballet by Royal New Zealand Ballet, 2004]
Island Songs: Piano Trio (1996)
Happy Tachyons, marimba, vibraphone and piano (1996)
Nocturnes, sax quartet and percussion (1997)
Spike, marimba, vibraphone and piano (1998)
Piano Quintet, piano and string quartet (2000)
Fragment, vibraphone and piano (2001) [percussion version of piano work]
Kartsigar, string quartet (2004)
Ukiyo, vibraphone, marimba and digital audio playback (2005)
One Study One Summary, marimba, junk percussion and digital audio playback (2005)
Helix, piano trio (2006)
A Cool Wind, string quartet (2008)
Waiting Still, piano and gamelan musician (2009)

Piano
Waiting for the Aeroplane, piano  (1988-90)
Shocked Awake, piano (1991)
Matre’s Dance, percussion and piano (1991-94)
Zeal, piano duo (1992)
Drum Dances, drum kit and piano (1993)
Rhythm Spike, piano (1994)
Motet, piano duet (1997)
Jettatura, piano (1999)
Fragment, piano duet (2001)
Sleeper, piano (2007)
Waiting Still, piano and gamelan musician (2009)

Vocal
Baw My Barne, solo voices or chorus (1995)

Film/Incidental
View from Olympus, documentary film score (2011)
Good for Nothing, film score (2011)
White Lies, film score (2013)

Electronic
Stream 3.3, chamber ensemble and digital audio playback (1998)
Ukiyo, vibraphone, marimba and digital audio playback (2005)
One Study One Summary, marimba, junk percussion and digital audio playback (2005)


PSATHAS  LINKS                                                        Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~    Psathas on Psathas      ~ top of page ~
Is it Time to Declare John Psathas a Genius? (Ian Dando, New Zealand Listener)
John Psathas (Stephen Gibbs, New Zealand Musician)
John Psathas (Alan Wells, Salient)
John Psathas' Olympiad XXVIII ... (New Zealanders in Greece/Griwis)
Olympian Feats (Rod Biss, New Zealand Listener)

Composer's website   . . .   contact John Psathas:  here
Psathas @ Twitter

Psathas @ Wikipedia
Psathas @ Amplifier NZ Music
Psathas @ The Art of Film Memory
Psathas @ Arts Foundation of New Zealand
Psathas @ Auckland Chamber Orchestra
Psathas @ Audiophile Audition (via Google Advanced Search)
Psathas @ Classical Archives
Psathas @ composition:today
Psathas @ DePaul University
Psathas @ Digital Conversations
Psathas @ Everything2
Psathas @ Facebook
Psathas @ Global Greek World
Psathas @ IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
Psathas @ InstantEncore
Psathas @ LinkedIn
Psathas @ MusicWeb International
Psathas @ MySpaceMusic
Psathas @ The New York Times
Psathas @ New Zealand Herald
Psathas @ New Zealand Music Commission
Psathas @ New Zealand School of Music
Psathas @ Percussion Music Online (via Google Advanced Search)
Psathas @ Promethean Editions
Psathas @ Rattle Records
Psathas @ Royal New Zealand Ballet
Psathas @ SOUNZ/Centre for New Zealand Music

Publisher
Psathas @ Promethean Editions

Streaming Audio
Psathas @ Classical Archives
Psathas @ Digital Conversations
Psathas @ last.fm
Psathas @ MySpaceMusic
Psathas @ Rhapsody.com
Psathas @ SoundCloud

Recordings
Psathas @ Amazon.com    also    here
Psathas @ ArkivMusic
Psathas @ CD Universe
Psathas @ ClassicsOnline
Psathas @ Discogs
Psathas @ itunes
Psathas @ Marbecks
Psathas @ Presto Classical
Psathas @ Rattle Records
Psathas @ SmokeCDs.com
Psathas @ Trust Records

Video
Psathas @ YouTube    also    here
Psathas @ Google Video
Psathas @ Vimeo (via Google Advanced Search)
                                                                                                                                           ~ top of page ~
Psathas on Psathas: On Talk Talk (VIDEO)







Psathas on Psathas: Psathas Talks About Recent Booktrack (The Arts Foundation)(VIDEO)
John Psathas, composerComposers Speak on the Web at Pytheas
                            ~ click on composer picture to listen ~







. . . and check out more    Composers Speak on the Web    at Pytheas

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