Athens Conservatory

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Athens Conservatory ( Greek Ωδείο Αθηνών Odío Athinón ) is next to the National Conservatory the most important music academy in Greece .

history

The Conservatory was founded in 1871 under Prime Minister Alexandros Koumoundouros as the first music and theater school of modern Greece outside of the Greek Republic of the Ionian Islands since 1864 . With the exception of the violin and flute, the focus was initially on studying ancient music, and from 1881 modern classical instrumental lessons were offered. Until then, classical music in Greece was mainly influenced by the Italian-influenced composers of the Ionian School , whose representatives (such as Spyridon Xyndas ) were also among the school's first teachers. The piano was initially still explicitly excluded from the conservatory.

The director Georgios Nazos , who headed the institute from 1890–1924 and 1930–1934, was particularly important for the development of classical music in Greece . Nazos had studied composition with Josef Gabriel Rheinberger and Ludwig Thuille in Munich and promoted the development of a Greek national school , which was based on the German late Romanticism and rejected the music of the late 19th century, Italian or French. With this he determined the development of Greek music for many decades, so he was one of the decisive supporters of Manolis Kalomiris , who received his first teaching post at the institute in 1910. This late romantic style, which was patronized by Nazos and oriented towards Wagner , had a decisive influence on the music of Greece up to the Second World War and also largely inhibited the influence of new music on Greece. The institute gained further importance through research into Greek folk music. In 1903 a third faculty for Byzantine music was founded at Nazos' instigation , which was recognized as the official state school for church music in 1936. Armand Marsick directed the orchestra from 1908 to 1916. From this later the national orchestra emerged. In 1915 the conservatory reached its peak with 50 professors and teachers and 814 students.

The conservatory then suffered from internal differences over leadership. Nazos were accused of running the institution conservatively and not opening it up enough to the poorer classes of the people. Musically, the too close focus on German classics was criticized. Eventually Napoleon Lampelet, Dionysios Lavrangas, Spyros Samaras, and Manolis Kalomiris left the institution. The latter founded the reformist Greek Conservatory . Nazos himself submitted his resignation in 1924 due to illness.

Martin Braunwieser, who taught as a flute professor at the Conservatory, recruited the pianist and composer Felix Petyrek as professor in a piano class in 1926 , which he taught until 1930.

For a long time the conservatory was housed in the building designed by Ioannis Despotopoulos , but it is currently being renovated.

Professors (selection)

Graduates (selection)

literature

  • Takis Kalogeropoulos: Odío Athinón . In: Lexiko tis Ellinikis mousikis . Athens 1998–99 ( wiki.musicportal.gr )

Web links

Coordinates: 37 ° 58 ′ 24 ″  N , 23 ° 44 ′ 38 ″  E