Constantine A. Lignos - Composer
Born in Athens 1948. His family was not involved in music at all.
His involvement started in the early '60s, when he took guitar lessons, taught himself to play the piano and worked with rock bands. Subsequently he enrolled in the Hellenic Conservatory and got his first degree in 1971. Privately he studied with the celebrated composer and teacher John A. Papaioannou. He also studied piano, Byzantine, and Greek folk music, and worked at the first Electronic Music Workshop in Greece (Ε.ΡΓ.Η.Μ.), presenting pieces for tape. In 1974 he became a member of the Greek Society for Contemporary Music
In 1975-76, he worked in journalism, publishing articles, interviews, and reviews. At that time, he covered the story of Iannis Xenakis' return to Greece, after his long exile abroad, taking several long interviews from the composer.
At the end of 1976, he enrolled in the Post-Graduate Composition Course of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. While in the UK, he worked at the Electroacoustic Music Workshop of Morley College, became a member of the Society for the Promotion of New Music, and took part in seminars with Witold Lutoslawski and Hans-Werner Henze.
Moving back to Athens, he became a member of the Greek Composers Union (GCU) in 1993. He was music coordinator of the Athens British Graduates Society from 1996 to 1998. Since 1999 he is member of the Greek Composers Forum (K.E.SY.) From 2003 to 2014 he was Editor of «music-POLYTONOn» the Greek Composers Union magazine. He represented the GCU twice (Hong Kong 2007 and Beijing 2017) in the ISCM World Music Days. He has been a regular collaborator of ‘Thomas Tamvakos’ Archive of Classical Composers’ and contributor in the Greek web music magazine TaR.
He has written music for orchestra, ensembles of various types, piano, guitar, and for solo orchestral instruments. His vocal works include, a staged cantata, songs and song-cycles, songs for a capella choir, music-theatre and a High School musical based on an adaptation of Aristophane’s Lysistrata.
He has produced electro-acoustic music, written, and produced theatre and film music, children's theatre. He has transcribed and arranged song of other Greek songwriters and composers. From 2015 he promotes his music in YouTube and produces the supporting videos.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf0MxYDOk9mqtVXCGQEoWVA?
Has received commissions from the British Council of Greece, the Union of Greek Composers, the Greek Radio, many Greek festivals as well as various UK, Italian and Greek artists. He wrote music for the "Amphi-theatre" company of S. A. Evangelatos and a staged cantata for the Paxos Festival. He has collaborated with various Greek and non-Greek soloists, such as the violinist George Demertzis, the New Hellenic Quartet, The pianist Titos Gouvelis, the saxophone player Stathis Mavrommatis and the Italian trumpeter Ivano Ascari.
His music has been presented, recorded, and broadcast in Greece, Britain, USA, Scandinavia, Lithuania, Australia, Mexico, Italy, Yugoslavia, and Cyprus. Two of his pieces «Irenes’ Symandra» (Chimes of Peace) and «Once Upon a Time in Old Europe», have received their first performances in Istanbul under the auspices of the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.
Since December 2023 the composer is represented by Musicentry.
Piano:
"The First Collection" [1976-81]
"Aeolian Harp" [1979]
“Wind” [1980]
“Three Movements” [1987-88]
“Invention” [1988]
"Colorful Hassapikos" [1992]
“Mi-ni-Mam-bo” [1994]
"An Image and a Dance" [1994]
“Nine Variations on a Theme by Bela Bartok” [1995-99]
"Three Simple Melodies" (Drei Schlichte Melodien) [1988-99]
"Preludes and Dances" (Preludien und Tanze) [1999-2000]
"The House of the Healing Muses" [2005]
“Partitas for keyboard” (piano or harpsichord) [2005]
“The New Harpsichord Blues” (harpsichord) [2007]
"Five Preludes for Piano" [2007]
Chamber music:
“Two Greek Melodies” [1977] for cor anglais & string quartet
“Episode” [1978] for twelve instruments
“Ostinato” [1978] for oboe, clarinet, horn & cello
“Trio for Reeds” [1980] for oboe, cor anglais & bassoon
“Impromptu Mambo I” [1980] for three clarinets
“Three Images from Mani” [1996-97] for clarinet violin, cello & piano
“Impromptu Mambo II” [1996] clarinet quartet (3 B decline, bass)
"Trio for 2 violins & piano" [1997-98]
“Little Rhythmology” [1999] for string quartet
"Greek Variations" [1999-2000] for woodwind quintet
“Sonata for violin & piano” [2001]
“Impromptu Mambo III” [2002] for saxophone quartet (SATB)
“Between the Keys” [2003] for flute & string quartet
“La sonata del' fuoco” [2004] for trumpet and piano
“John Lee Hooker” [2005] blues for saxophone (alto or baritone) & piano
“Three pieces for saxophone and piano” [2005] for saxophones (soprano & alto) & piano
“Three movements from Faust” [2006] for octet (oboe, clarinet 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass & piano)
Solo instruments & guitar:
“Walkabout” [1978] for guitar
“Momentum” [1979] for guitar
“Pictures for solo flute” [1996-2000] for bass, piccolo & orchestra flute
“The Flight of the Seagull” [1996] for clarinet or saxophone
“Sonatina” [2002] for flute
“Saxfoursolo” [2003] for solo soprano, alto, tenor and baritone sax
Orchestra:
“Little Rhythmology” [1999] for string orchestra
«Irenes’ Symandra» (Chimes of Peace) [2002] for 2 violins, piano, strings & percussion
“Odos Oneiron'' (Variations on a theme by M. Hadjidaki) [2002] for two violins piano strings and percussion
"Divertimento in Greek style" [2003] for string orchestra
“Once upon a time in Old Europe” [2004] for violin, strings, 4 woodwinds & percussion
Orchestra and Voices:
"We will be here" (The Little Island Cantata) [2000] stage cantata for mezzo-soprano, baritone, cantor, two-part mixed choir, actors & orchestra
Music theatre:
"The Red Wing" [1995] comedy scene for soprano, tenor & mixed quartet
“Islands” [1996] musical narrative for soprano, 2 narrators, 2 flutes (all flutes), electro-acoustic keyboard, percussion & tape
"The rehearsal" [1997-98] for woodwind quintet with performer-actors, simple percussion & tape
Song Cycles:
“A Bakers' Dozen of Greek Folksongs” [1993] for soprano, mezzo, tenor & mixed quartet
“Cambridge Songs” [1994] 5 songs for mixed choir
“The Cambridge Songs” [1994] 6 songs for mezzo, tenor and piano
"Six sea songs" (poetry N. Kavadias) [2000-2009] for mezzo and piano
"Two sea songs" (poetry by N. Kavadias) [2000] for mezzo & small ensemble
"Two Greek Folk Songs" [2001] for mezzo and piano
“Two Greek Folk Songs” [2005] for mezzo and saxophone quartet
Songs:
“Love is just a Ploy” [1993] for soprano & piano
“Love is just a Ploy” [1994] ] for soprano & 'karaoke' tape
"The Islands of Greece" [1996] for mezzo and clarinet quartet
"The Islands of Greece" [2005] for mezzo and saxophone quartet
“Monsoon” [1997] for mezzo and clarinet quartet
“He lived by the source” [1997-2004] for mezzo and clarinet quartet
"He lived by the source" [1997] for mezzo and piano
“He lived by the source” [2005] for mezzo and saxophone quartet
"The King of Thuli" [2001] for mezzo and piano
"The King of Thuli" [2003] for mixed choir
Music for the theatre:
"The Employee" by M. Hourmouzis [1972]
"King John" by W. Shakespeare [1973]
"O Vassilikos" by P. Matesis [1974]
“Memories-Memories” by P. Hope [1993-94]
"Faust" by J. W. von Goethe [1999]
Children's theater:
"Lysistrati" (arranged by S. Zaraboukas) [1995]
"Pinocchio" (arranged by Giorgos Lygnos) [1996]
Children's & student material:
“London Bridge is Falling Down” [1989] for piano (simple variations for young students)
"Finale from Lysistrati" [1995] children's song (piano & voice)
"Aspartame and Glucose" [1996] children's song (piano & voice)
"Pinocchio my good friend" [1996] children's song (piano & voice)
“In the Bleak Midwinter” [1999] for 3 cellos (arrangement of a Christmas carol)
Musical & Film:
"Lysistrati" (English - dir. C. Goldsmith) [1995] musical for high school students
“2984” [1990] science fiction short film, credits mark
“Drop in the Ocean” [1991] documentary
Electroacoustic music:
“At the Viewing of a nocturnal Sacrifice” [1979] Electro-acoustically processed male voice on tape.
Editions:
"Three Simple Melodies" (Drei Schlichte Melodien), for piano (GS 1126) Antinea Verlag, Munich 2000.
"Preludes & Dances", for piano (GS 1141), Antinea Verlag, Munich 2001.
"A Baker's Dozen of Greek Folksongs", Song Cycle for 2 sopranos, tenor & small ensemble.
Polyphiloi, London 1993
"Trio for two violins and piano", Scientific & Cultural Collaborations,
University of Athens-British Council,
Athens 1999.
"Once Upon a Time in Old Europe", Postmodern Variations for Violin and Orchestra. A Concert Celebrating Heavenly Peace on Earth.
Published by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Athens 2004
“Three pieces for Saxophone & Piano”, Music for Saxophone, Piano & Percussion by Greek Composers.
Acroasis, Athens 2006