Space Legends, Auditorio de Tenerife, Saturday, 27th September
A Tribute to Neil Armstrong (first man to moonwalk) and Alexei Leonov (first man to spacewalk)
Alexei Leonov (Russian Cosmonaut)
Why did the Soviet Union not send a man to the Moon? Will Russia ever achieve this?
Stephen Hawking (Theoretical Physicist, Best selling author of the Brief History of Time)
Black Holes
Special Programme and performance:
- Rick Wakeman, solo piano, a tribute to Neil Armstrong
-
PYRAEIZOON (Fire Ever-Living)
- Alexandros Hahalis, composer, performer
- Katerina Mina, soprano
- Percussionist Carlos Castañeda
We are very pleased to announce that Alexandros Hahalis, the Greek composer, will be performing some very special pieces of music that he has kindly dedicated to Neil Armstrong and Alexei Leonov. He has also composed “ALL NATIONS HERE COME TOGETHER!” as the “Starmus Hymn”. It is a message from Theseus, the legendary founder of unified Athens and the creator of the 1st Athenian Democracy, some 4000 years ago, circa 1700-2000 BCE! This is what Alexandros had to say about his performance: ‘The Moon became even fuller after Neil Armstrong walked on it, so I dedicate my composition PANSELINOS (Full Moon) to him who fearlessly led Mankind to its destiny in Space and Beyond!
A few years ahead, Alexei Leonov dared “swim” outside of the natural earthly conditions for humans, into the “foothills” of the Universe, so, SEPTATHALASSA (The Sacred Cosmic Sea), is the perfect musical environment to embrace the greatness of such a pioneer for Humanity, indeed!
Performing at Starmus for all its outstanding guests along with exceptional Greek-Cypriot soprano Katerina Mina, it is an unparalleled experience, a great honor and a precious opportunity to share music inspired by the “immortal thoughts” of master minds such as Orpheus, Theseus, Heraclitus, Epicurus, Leucippus, bridging today’s forerunners of science with those of the Immortal Past! Wings of Memory, the Sacred of our Soul!’ This World, the same for all, none of the gods or humans created but always was is & shall be Fire Ever-living inflamed by laws and by laws extinguished
Heracleitus of Ephessos, 6th cent. BCE
ΚΟΣΜΟΝ ΤΟΝΔΕ, ΤΟΝ ΑΥΤΟΝ ΑΠΑΝΤΩΝ,
OΥΤΕ ΤΙΣ ΘΕΩΝ ΟΥΤΕ ΑΝΘΡΩΠΩΝ ΕΠΟΙΗΣΕΝ,
ΑΛΛ’ ΗΝ ΑΕΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΙΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΙ
ΠΥΡ ΑΕΙΖΩΟΝ,
ΑΠΤΟΜΕΝΟΝ ΜΕΤΡΑ
ΚΑΙ ΑΠΟΣΒΕΝΝΥΜΕΝΟΝ ΜΕΤΡΑ ΗΡΑΚΛΕΙΤΟΣ
Alexandros Hahalis
The Greek born composer, whose childhood dream was to become an astronaut, moved to New York in 1980 and studied classical composition at Aaron Copland School of Music. His debut work ANTITHESIS, in May ’89, reached the US top 10 charts of New Age / Electronic music.
Since then he was commissioned to compose & perform for renowned sculptors & painters (Spyropoulos, Stamos, Masaaki Noda), for major venues and festivals around the World such as the La Mama theater of Ellen Stewart in NYC, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Rochester University, “Dei due Mondi” of Italy, Art Carnuntum of Austria, Libertas of Croatia, and in Greece at Zappeion Megaron, Athens Music Hall, Ancient Delphi Stadium “Athens 2004 Olympic Flame World Tour”, by the Tomb of the Marathon Fighters for the 2500th anniversary, in Ancient Pella for the International Marathon “Alexander the Great”, in “Promitheia” of Mount Olympus. South of Ammohostos (Famagusta) for the 40th “black anniversary” since the Turkish Invasion & Occupation of Cyprus.
He was honored by the Greek Scholars of Chicago University for his sonic interpretation of Greek language in 1998, in 2000 by Urban Stages & Playwrights Preview Society alongside actress Olympia Dukakis in Central Park of NYC “Celebrating the Heritage of Greek Theater & Art”, in Athens Music Hall (Megaron) during “Aristeia 2005”for his artistic achievement outside Greece, by the Art Club “Costis Palamas” (the poet of the Olympic Hymn) for the oratorio he composed with the great National Greek poet’s poetry.
Katerina Mina
We are also very pleased to confirm that Katerina Mina will also be performing on stage. A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the London based Greek-Cypriot soprano was a prize winner at the ‘Julian Gayarre International Singing Competition’ in Spain and ‘Concorso Vocale Internationale di Musica Sacra’ in Italy, as well as the winner of the 2009 Madame Figaro Magazine Singer-of-the-Year Awards. Her opera studies were fully sponsored by the Corporation of London and the A.G. Leventis Foundation.
Katerina sang major roles with British Youth Opera, Staatstheater Cottbus, Kolobov Novaya Opera of Moscow, English Touring Opera, University College Opera London, European Chamber Opera and performs extensively throughout Europe, the Middle & Far East. She participated in Masterclasses with José Cura, Nelly Miricioiu, John Fisher, Lubov Stuchevskaya , Dmitri Jurowski and appeared live at BBC London’s Radio show 94.9 FM, ‘A World In London’. Her performance of the ‘Hymn for Cyprus’ composed by Roman Kariolou on lyrics by Neşe Yasin, to celebrate the 50th Independence Anniversary of Cyprus, has since become the newboarding music of Cyprus Airways.(www.katerinamina.com )
Wardrobe for Katerina Mina provided by Alexander mQueen
Wardrobe for Alexandros Hahalis provided by Yiorgos Eleftheriades
http://www.yiorgoseleftheriades.gr
Links for Alexandros’s videos
Fire Ever-Living
Wings of Memory
Powernet
Links for Katerina´s videos
“Hymn for Cyprus”
“1973″ at the Athens Concert Hall
“Speak low” by Kurt Weill
