Marios Joannou Elia

Marios Joannou Elia (born June 19, 1978 in Pafos ) is a Cypriot composer . He was involved in important initiatives, so he was u. a. youngest artistic director in the history of the European Capital of Culture (from 2013 to 2015). He is also a tourist - Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus . Since 2016 Elia has been the artistic director of the major project "Sound of Vladivostok ", commissioned by the Zarya Foundation, in Russia .

Education

Marios Joannou Elia studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Mozarteum Salzburg in the composition class with Adriana Hölszky , graduating in 2005 with Mag.Art. He also completed studies in guitar, music education and music theory. In 2001/02 Elia became the most successful Mozarteum student. For this he received a grant from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture. He was also awarded the Austrian performance grant for composition and the rector's grant from the Mozarteum University. Composition studies under Klaus Huber at the University of Music in Basel were expanded . He received further suggestions from Boguslaw Schaeffer and Michael Finnissy as well as from encounters with artists such as Karlheinz Stockhausen , Helmut Lachenmann and Georges Aperghis .

Elia also studied musicology at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna . The title of his research work is “Contemporary Music and its Forms of Perception in the Context of Polyesthetics and Polymediality”.

In 2010 he received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Southampton .

Life

His first international successes include the performance by the Cambridge University New Music Society of With a pair of scissors and thousand threads (2002). In the same year, the premiere of his first music theater work took place in the Vienna Hall of the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg. Two years later three theaters in Salzburg devoted full-length, staged portrait concerts to him and his music. In addition, his multimedia work Hydor was performed at the Salzburg Easter Festival .

With the composition Antidoron ( blessed bread ) for electrically amplified string quartet, he won first prize at the renowned Witold Lutosławski Award in Warsaw (2004); the performance took place in the Warsaw Philharmonic with the Rubinstein Quartet (named after Arthur Rubinstein ) .

In 2003 Elia composed the multimedia work “Strophes” for Volkswagen's Transparent Factory in Dresden . In this work he used the automobile for the first time as a tonal component of his music (see below: “The vehicle cycle”). Between 2003 and 2006 he was engaged in artistic and scientific research at the Mozarteum Salzburg. Elia regularly gives lectures and guest courses, u. a. at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University of Music and Theater in Leipzig ("Sound Scenes and Music Theater Improvisation"), as part of the Salzburg Biennale ("Word-Sound-Music"), for the annual symposium of the International Society for Polyesthetic Education ("Polyästhetische HörRaumGestaltung" ) in Linz or for the city of Mannheim as part of your application for European Capital of Culture 2020 ("Autosymphonic. A special kind of event"). In 2010 Elia was elected President of the New Works Music Festival in Southampton . From 2010 to 2011 he was the artistic director of the multimedia event "autosymphonic" in Mannheim .

Elia often works closely with his brother, electronic music producer Nick Elia, in realizing his lavish multimedia works, most recently in “Vertumnus” for electronic music , loudspeaker orchestra and three-dimensional interactive shadow theater , premiered on the main stage of the Macedonian State Theater and Ballets (2009), as well as in "autosymphonic".

The work of the composer Marios Joannou Elia includes compositions of the most varied genres and line-ups for the opera as well as for concert halls and extends to visionary projects and concepts for sophisticated event culture. Elia developed and produced a number of his works specifically for special occasions, such as the choral work "Aquanauten" (performed in Salzburg's Mirabell Gardens , 2007) or the media opera "Die Reise des G. Mastorna" (performed at Salzburg Airport as part of the Mozart Year 2006) . His music is performed by international orchestras and ensembles ( SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden and Freiburg , SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart , Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken-Kaiserslautern, State Orchestra Stuttgart , Sinfonietta of the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Ensemble Modern , Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, Austrian Ensemble for New Music , Children's Choir of the Stuttgart State Opera, Netherlands Accordion Orchestra etc.).

Operas, musical theater and dance music works were u. a. commissioned and performed by the State Operas Stuttgart, Hanover and Skopje . Renowned concert halls and festivals such as the Berlin and Warsaw Philharmonic, the Festspielhaus Hellerau , the Queen's Hall in Edinburgh , the Amsterdam Muziekgebouw aan't IJ, the Millenáris Theatrum Budapest or the Ars Electronica Linz have brought Elias music to life.

Polymediality as a concept

Elias' concept is based on a qualitative polymediality that encompasses two dimensions: the compositional inherent in the work and the polymediality on the staging level. In the first dimension, unconventional music and non-music media elements become integral parts of the composition. In the second dimension, the composition as a whole enters into a dynamic interplay with other art forms or media.

The vehicles cycle

The "autosymphonic" is part of a cycle of works in which the composer used various vehicles as musical instruments. Bicycles played in “Der Wegweiser” (premier Berlin Philharmonie , 2005), motorcycles in “Tempus tantum nostrum est” (premier Salzburg Biennale, 2005), elements from aviation in “Die Reise des Guido Mastorna” (premier Salzburg Airport , 2006) and ship components in “En plo” (UA Akademie der Künste Berlin , 2007) set the tone. Two compositions also focused on the automobile as a core motif and artistic medium: in the composition "Strophes" for the room of the Transparent Factory in Dresden (2003) and the opera "Die Jagd", performed in the large showroom of the Schwabengarage Stuttgart.

The Hunt (Opera)

Elia composed several operas and musical theater works. His last opera, Die Jagd , a composition commissioned by the Stuttgart State Opera, was composed for 4 singers, 3 actors, a hunting choir, two speaking choirs, 20 recorded voices, an instrumental ensemble in two groups, a car sextet and electronics (2008). The premiere took place by the Stuttgart State Opera, in coproduction with the Rampe Theater Stuttgart.

Autosymphonic

For the finale of the celebrations for the 125th birthday of the automobile, Elia composed the open-air multimedia symphony autosymphonic , a composition commissioned by the city of Mannheim. The one-hour work is written for 265 musicians: symphony orchestra, 81 automobiles and 120 percussionists, choir, children's choir, pop band, vocal ensemble, percussion octet, live electronics and a 360-degree sound system. The world premiere took place on Friedrichsplatz Mannheim in front of an audience of 20,000. The symphony was visualized by Horst Hamann.

After ten months of 'autocasting', Elia created the world's first car orchestra . The 81 vehicles of the car orchestra from all epochs play young Mannheimers like "instruments". The fourth part is set for symphony orchestra, choir, percussion quintet and the singers and rappers of the pop band Söhne Mannheims and Xavier Naidoo . The title of the song is "Der Traum" [aka "The Automobile" or "500 Horses"].

Car trio

The "Autotrio" for Benz patent motor vehicles , Aero 6218R and Mercedes-Benz E 200 CGI Cabrio was created in 2010. The premiere took place in the Mozart Hall of the Mannheim rose garden on the occasion of the New Year's reception of the Lord Mayor of Mannheim on January 6, 2011, and an enthusiastic 2,300 Listeners. The cars were played as musical instruments by 14 musicians. Lecturers and students from the Popakademie Baden-Württemberg played , conducted by Harald Braun from the Nationaltheater Mannheim . The "car trio" was u. a. performed at the stall guard party 2011 of the Baden-Württemberg state representation in Berlin.

Awards and honors

He has received a number of the highest international awards for his around 70 works of almost all musical genres. B. he won the Counterpoint Prize "Luciano Berio" in New York (2010), the Hof-Klang Prize of the Society for Art and Criticism Leipzig (2010), the Kazimierz Serocki Prize in Warsaw (2008), the Edison Prize Denisov Prize in Moscow (2007), the Research Prize of the Mozarteum Salzburg, the Klangspuren Schwaz Tirol and the Ensemble recherche Freiburg im Breisgau (2007), the Audience Prize of the international music festival of the Korean Society of 21st Century Music in Seoul (2006 ), the Giannis Papaioannou Composition Prize of the Greek Music Society in Athens (2004) and the Witold Lutosławski Prize in Warsaw (2004).

For his work “Strophes” he received the BMW award from Musica Viva and Bayerischer Rundfunk in Munich in 2005 . In 2007 Elia was awarded the Theodor Körner Prize in Vienna and honored by Heinz Fischer , the Federal President of Austria. In 2009 the Cyprus Culture Ministers honored him for his work to date . In 2010 he was voted “Artist of the Year” in Cyprus and President of the “New Works” music festival in Southampton. For 2011 he was nominated for the Johnnie Walker Man of the Year Award.

He received further awards from the Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart , the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg , the Akademie der Künste Berlin , the Hanne-Darboven -Stiftung in Hamburg , the Allianz Kulturstiftung in Munich, the European Center for the Arts Hellerau in Dresden and the Leventis Foundation in Paris .

Compositions (selection)

• Sound of Kyoto (2018)
• Telenauten , for speaking choir, text by Wolfgang Welsch , composition commissioned by the International Society for Polyesthetic Education (2017)
• Naval Symphony , for soprano, tenor, symphony orchestra, choir and children's choir. Composed for the Eastern Economic Forum 2017, commissioned by the Primorje Philharmonic Society (2016-17)
• Sound of Vladivostok , for theremin, electric guitar, spoken song, soprano, church bells, symphony orchestra, wind orchestra, 3 choirs, children's choir, small drum ensemble, Korean drum ensemble, electric violin trio, recorded sounds, etc. Commissioned by the city of Vladivostok (2016– 17)
• Farewell , for soprano, tenor, choir, violoncello I-II, guitar solo and guitar orchestra (2016). Commissioned by the Mozarteum University in Salzburg
• Salt and Pepper , for guitar quartet (2016)
• Ulm oratorio , open-air oratorio for 400 musicians (10 soloists, philharmonic orchestra, wind orchestra, 7 choirs, bell orchestra, various percussion ensembles, Bauhütte ensemble, electronics) (2013-14). So far not listed; The planned premiere in 2015 for the tower anniversary of the Ulm Minster could not take place
• Autosymphonic , open-air multimedia symphony for 290 musicians (symphony orchestra, choir, children's choir, car orchestra , 120 percussionists and percussion octet ,pop band, electronics) (2010–11)
• Man and Machine , for choir (2010-11)
• In the car across the country , for children's choir (2010)
• Car trio , for three cars, 14 percussionists and electronics (2009) - Popakademie Baden-Württemberg and Nationaltheater Mannheim
• Vertumnus , for electronic music and interactive shadow theater (2009) - Macedonian Opera and Ballet
• Airdance , for robotics orchestra (2009) - Ars Electronica
• Nothing. As a repetition , opera in 10 scenes for 7 soloists, choir, percussion sextet and chamber orchestra (2008-09)
• Die Jagd (opera) , opera in 16 scenes for 7 soloists, youth choir, speaking choir, chamber orchestra, car sextet, electronics (2008) - State Opera Stuttgart
• Elpis , for accordion orchestra (2008)
• Dornen , for large orchestra (2007/09)
• Akanthai , for chamber orchestra (2007)
• Powdered sugar , for guitar quartet (2007)
• En Plo , for double bass clarinet, double bass, loudspeaker orchestra and electronics (2007)
• Thalatta, Thalatta! , for mandolin and ensemble (2007)
• Aquanauten , for vocal ensemble (2007)
• The Flute Magic Flute , Opera (2006)
• The Journey of G. Mastorna , Media Opera (2006). Composed for Salzburg Airport
• Hide and Seek, for quintet (2006)
• Children's game , for soprano, mezzo-soprano and ensemble (2006)
• C Story , for European and non-European instruments (2006)
• Spiegel: Eye for instrumental ensemble, 11 loudspeakers and live electronics (2006)
• The Guide , for Sinfonietta (2005)
• Three spoons of sugar in the sea , for vocal ensemble (2005)
• Tempus Tantum Nostrum Est , for vocal ensemble and motorcycles Harley Davidson (2005)
• Debate , for ensemble (2005)
• As time goes by , Zeitoper (2005) - State Opera Hanover
• Tessera , for recorder duo and double bass trio (2004)
• Holy Bread , for string quartet (violin solo and string trio) (2004)
• Whiteblack , for baritone and ensemble (2003/05)
• Strophes , for 11 vocal soloists, instrumental ensemble, loudspeaker ensemble and electronics (2003/04). Composed for the Transparent Factory in Dresden.
• With a pair of scissors and a thousand threads , for violin and a guitarist with two guitars (2002) - Cambridge University

book

In September 2017 the Mainz publishing house Schott Music published Elias book " The Concept of Polymediality . Literary Sources as an Inherent Polymedial Element of Music".

Movies

• 2012 Entexnos, documentary, CyBC television, director: Neilos Iacovou, 32 min.
• 2011 The Mannheim Auto Symphony - creation of a multimedia event (documentary film), SWR television, director: Ursula Schwedler, 45 min.
• 2011 autosymphonic (documentary of the world premiere), m: con Mannheim, director: Horst Hamann, 65 min.

literature

• Petruschka, Gudrun: Marios Joannou Elia - A composer portrait, diploma thesis at the University of Music and Theater Munich, 2007.
• Humans and Machines: An Interview with Composer Marios Joannou Elia at the Royal Festival Hall in London
• Great attention abroad. Mannheim morning
• Ferrari as a violin, tractor as a tuba. Salzburg News (PDF; 1.2 MB)
• Engines as melodies, horns as trumpets. DRadio knowledge
• Automobile Summer Baden-Württemberg 2011: Autosymphonic. IHK Darmstadt
• Looking for cars with sound talent! GCB German Convention Bureau
• On Eve of Frankfurt Auto Show, German Orchestra Builds a Tuner Special. New York Times
• It is the flap of the wings of the latest time. Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung

Web links

• Official website

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Pafos European Capital of Culture 2017 - First Monitoring Meeting, Report by the Monitoring and Advisory Panel
2. ^ Announcement Südwestpresse Ulm, May 12, 2015
3. ↑ Cyprus Ambassador in Tourism - Marios Joannou Elias Interview in English
4. ↑ Sound of Vladivostok - An audiovisual portrait of the city of Vladivostok . 
5. ↑ Marios Joannou Elia: Contemporary Music and its Forms of Perception in the Context of Polyesthetics and Polymediality, Abstract ( Memento of the original from October 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 58 kB) 
6. ^ Awards and achievements for Marios Joannou Elia, PhD, Music
7. ↑ To Widen the Spectrum of Possibilities: An Interview with Marios Joannou Elia
8. ↑ Program of the 26th Symposium of the International Society for Polyesthetic Education, Marios Joannou Elia: Music Under Construction 1 & 2 ( Memento of the original from January 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 598 kB) 
9. ↑ European Capital of Culture, Mannheim 2020, Autosymphonic. A special kind of event ( Memento of the original from August 12, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
10. ↑ Spectacular event for the automobile anniversary ( memento of the original from January 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
11. ↑ Marios Joannou Elia: Polymediality as a concept (PDF; 168 kB)
12. ↑ Marios Joannou Elia: Polymediality as a concept (PDF; 159 kB)
13. ↑ music from Motorgebrumm and metal rattles, Welt am Sonntag, criticism
14. ↑ Autosymphonic - The event of the year!
15. ↑ A superlative symphony for the car birthday  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
16. ↑ Benz patent car star of the world premiere "autosymphonic" ( Memento of the original from February 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
17. ↑ autosymphonic - 125 years of the automobile in Mannheim
18. ↑ A brilliant end to the automobile summer
19. ↑ Jung, International, Lebenswert: Marios Joannou Elia - composer (PDF; 1.9 MB)
20. ↑ There's music in there!
21. ↑ autosymphonic delights political celebrities - big appearance for Mannheim at the stable guard party
22. ↑ Marios Joannou Elias new CD powdered sugar: A groundbreaking album of guitar music
23. ↑ MJ Elia wins First Prize in New York, International Society for Contemporary Music ( Memento of the original from August 22, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
24. ↑ MJ Elia wins first prize in Leipzig, Music Center the Netherlands ( Memento of the original from January 29, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
25. ^ Official website of "Sound of Kyoto" . 
26. ^ Marios Joannou Elia, composer in residence of the International Symposium of the International Society for Polyesthetic Education . 
27. ↑ AТихоокеанский симфонический оркестр выступит на центральной площади Владивостока . 
28. ↑ Музыкальный портрет Владивостока пишет молодой композитор с Кипра. . 
29. ↑ Jubilation tones and discordant sounds, Südwest-Presse Ulm, December 31, 2015