My Very Musical Trip to Greece

Victor Stanislavsky (piano), Pinchas Zukerman (violin), Tosca Opdam (violin), Ori Kam (viola),
and Gabriel Schwabe (cello) perform Schumann’s Piano Quintet on the final night of the
2024 Syros International Music Festival.

TODD MASON

As the great American novelist Henry Miller (1891-1980) once said: “It takes a lifetime to discover Greece, but it only takes an instant to fall in love with her.”

Over the summer, I was lucky enough to be invited to be composer-in-residence for the 2024 Syros International Music Festival on the Greek island of Syros, not the largest but the most populous of the Cyclades archipelago off the east coast of the mainland. Syros (pronounced “SEE-rohws”) itself lies around 110 miles southeast of Athens, and I have to say that I instantly fell in love with it—and then the music sealed the deal.

This was only the second year for this festival, curated by Tosca Opdam and Asi Matathias (both of whom are virtuoso violin soloists, she Dutch and he Israeli, and also happen to be married to each other), and they’ve done a marvelous job of programming and recruiting top artists, among them this year Pinchas Zukerman and his wife, the noted cellist Amanda Forsyth. Zukerman says of the Syros festival: “Well, you know, it's not that far from Tel Aviv and the feeling is very similar. The ocean is almost the same. The people are very friendly, the audience is wonderful, the hall is very nice, and the music is of course very good. So it feels very much like home.”

A unique setting

As one arrives in Syros, usually by ferry (above) from Athens (that is, if you miss the infrequent small plane, as I did!), you feel instantly transported to another time, maybe even another world. The rich history goes back thousands of years—the first settlers on the island were probably the Phoenicians, arriving around 2300 B.C. Today, in its biggest (but still little) town, Ermoupoli, one is immediately confronted with narrow, curved streets paved with ancient cobblestones, colorful shops and restaurants and, way up at the top of the hill, the magnificent Church of Saint Nicholas.

And then you notice the cats. I learned that Greek culture here embraces cats as the free spirits they are, content to slowly wander the streets with seeming indifference to the people and scooters and tiny cars moving about. Then as you walk up the town’s gentle slopes, past the little cafes and charming hotels, you quickly get to a curiosity of the best kind, a scaled-down replica of the famous La Scala Opera House in Milan, built to the original designs of the Italian architect Pietro Sampò.

Known as the Apollon Theater (front entrance above), and seating just 350 compared with over 2000 in the original, this opened in 1864 and offers the ideal setting for this new festival. As the famous violinist Isaac Stern once remarked, “Music must be an event.” He meant that merely playing great classical music isn’t enough. You must create the feeling of a special occasion for each performance. At this festival, the combination of the superb musicians, the island, and this wonderful opera house with its excellent acoustics, made for five nights of concerts that certainly rose to the level of special events. 

Musical fireworks

The opening night (above) featured musical stars Tosca Opdam, Asi Matathias, Pinchas Zukerman (violins), Ori Kam (viola), and Amanda Forsyth (cello). The latter three played Mozart’s Divertimento in E-flat major for string trio, K. 563, and then Pinchas took the first viola part in Brahms’ String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111. What a start! Each of these musicians is a superb soloist, but they all are also consummate chamber music collaborators. The power of the Mozart was immediately apparent and it grew through the first five movements to the Allegro finale, which was nothing less than spectacular. The standing ovation audience included not only locals but also visitors from all over the world.

The opening night performance of Brahms' String Quintet No. 2.

From the start, Pinchas Zukerman set the tone for some of the most intimate and captivating musical conversations I’ve heard. My own view is that Mozart is too often approached as a holy relic that one must never “interpret” but studiously re-create in a hopefully perfect and symmetrical manner. What I loved about this performance was that all three players were not afraid individually to bring deep emotionalism and modern power to this masterpiece, an approach enhanced further by each little nuance perfectly answered by the others. This was Mozart as if in 3-D. One felt immersed, inside the music. I think Mozart would have been thrilled (if perhaps not Salieri!).

A new commission

The reason I was there was because Tosca, who so brilliantly recorded my Violin Concerto in 2022, asked me if I would accept a commission to write a new piece as well as be composer-in-residence for the festival. I was delighted to say yes, not only because I’d never been to Greece but also because I knew that this would be a superb group of musicians. 

Modern statue of Pheidippedes
on the Marathon road.

At the time, I was deep into writing my String Quartet No. 4, soon also to become Le Monde for string orchestra (which was just recorded in Budapest, right after the festival), so I had limited time. But as I knew there would be a superb pianist present, I chose a piece for solo piano. It was inspired by the Greek legend of the long-distance courier, Pheidippides, who is said to have run from Marathon to Athens with the good news of the Greek victory over the Persians in 490 B.C.

Premiered by the Israeli pianist Victor Stanislavsky, this work begins by imagining Pheidippides’ frantic thoughts as he desperately runs the 25-plus miles. He then enters a dream-like state and his life starts to flash before his eyes with thoughts of his childhood, family, loved ones, and the glory of Greece. When he finally reaches the Acropolis, he reawakens to the present and races up the hill to proclaim to the Senate “Hail, we are the winners!” thus saving Athenians from their worst fears, and then collapses with his last word, “Joy!”

Composer congratulates performer after premiere.

I can say that, as a composer, a premiere is not always what one imagines! Sometimes, there just isn’t enough time to rehearse. More often, the music needs to be adjusted, and that’s where the best collaborators offer ideas the composer didn’t necessarily even think of. What impressed me about working with Victor, via emails and phone, was how quickly he understood this piece and how beautifully he interpreted it—a new work which isn’t for the faint of heart (you can listen to the end of it here).

The frantic opening is very fast with large and quick atonal leaps all over the keyboard—both hands flying around trying to catch certain notes, suggesting the feeling of being in a frantic state, right on the edge of control. The middle section—the dream—calms down and inhabits more of a chromatic tonal world, but with many dense inner voices and varying moods. At this wonderful premiere, Victor added some expressive dimensions of his own, which were very much welcomed by the composer!

Five nights of Festival music

My premiere was on the second night. This was titled “Folk Spirit” and showcased works inspired by folk music and folk stories. This included the Dvořák Terzetto in C major, Op. 74 for two violins and viola, Robert Schumann’s Five Pieces in Folk Style Op. 102 for cello and piano, and the Poulenc Clarinet Sonata FP 184 (which has noticeable similarities to his more well-known Flute Sonata).

Finally, we had a stunning and challenging masterpiece, Kodály’s Duo for Violin and Cello Op. 7, played brilliantly by Pinchas and Amanda (left). As its drama and complexity progressed, one could feel an almost trance-like state envelop the hall. This work for just two instruments at times almost feels like a string quartet or more. Afterward, I asked Pinchas if it’s a difficult piece and he said “Yes!”

"Clarinet Magic" viewed from above.

The third night highighted “The Magic of the Clarinet,” and featured the artistry of the renowned Croatian clarinetist Marija Pavlovic. The evening began with Sibelius’s charming early Piano Trio in C major, “Lovisa” (1888), which was arranged here for clarinet, cello, and piano. Together with Marija Pavlovic, the other performers were Gabriel Schwabe, cellist, and Nino Gvetadze, piano.

Following the Sibelius we had the Brahms Clarinet Trio in A minor, Op. 114, and the concert concluded with Mozart’s timeless Clarinet Quintet in A Major, K. 581. Pavlovic’s beautiful tone reverberated throughout the hall and her subtle phrasing was deftly matched by the others.

Fourth came “Transfigured Night,” featuring the Prokofiev Overture on Hebrew Themes Op. 34 for clarinet, string quartet, and piano, Schubert’s late Fantasia in F minor, D. 940 for piano four hands, and closing with Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht, in the version intriguingly arranged for piano trio from the string sextet original by composer Eduard Steuermann. 

The last night “Gala Concert,” which was sold out, featured just two works, but both of them epics of the chamber music repertoire. These were the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 and Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat major Op. 44, and were rewarded with a prolonged standing ovation.

Masterclasses and more...

An important additional part of this festival are the masterclasses. There was a small number of very accomplished students, carefully selected from around the world, ages five to 15, who came to Syros to have the chance to play a few famous excerpts from the standard repertoire and have experienced pros like Pinchas, Asi and Tosca give them not only many technical tips but also practical advice, such as how to bring out certain passages with a real orchestra and how to add emotional dimensions even to difficult sections.

Tosca, Ari, and Pinchas giving some technical tips.

Pinchas also kept the students interested and amused with some wonderful anecdotes about performing, handed down from some famous musical luminaries of the 20th century. Of great value, again, was that the older students got career guidance and music business coaching, filling in that often enormous gap between academic life and the real world. The students also were given the hall for a concert of their own.

Asi Matathias pointed out: “A music festival today cannot only be concerts. It has to go hand in hand with education. We have these students selected from a greater pool of applicants from around Europe, and we have a very active outreach program which started even before the festival concerts. We are trying to evoke emotions and plant the seeds of music because that has to start from a very early age.” 

The festival also works with local visual artists to showcase their work for visitors during the day at several venues near the Apollon Theater. And you can even go on a guided tour of the rich history and geology of the island. This young festival has already become part of the small island’s fabric, and it is adding more events as it grows—this year, including some talks. At a small cafe, I discussed telling a story in music and the creative process (hint: don’t wait for “inspiration”!) (right).

Ambitious plans

The local co-founder and executive director of the festival, Alex Pikiakos, said at the opening night that, currently, Greece does not have a major classical music festival and that he’d like to correct that oversight. He envisions Syros becoming one of Europe’s destinations for great classical music as its festival grows, and if this year’s performances at the historic Apollon Theater on that endlessly charming island offered any clue, I think this could very well happen.

So, big congrats to the Syros International Music Festival artistic directors, Tosca Opdam and Asi Matathias (above). They have achieved the start of something that feels like it will only blossom from here on. They have created not just a great festival for classical music, in a place you’ll instantly fall in love with, but a festival where each night is a very special musical event!

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Note to Angelenos: 

You won’t have to wait to go to Greece next fall to hear Tosca and Asi, because they will both be in our Mason Concerts series on March 29 in West LA, along with Cécilia Tsan, Yumi Oshima, and Tim Durkovic!

Images: Festival photos: Todd Mason and Ari Matathias; Pheidippedes: courtesy run2.australia.