Christos Tsitsaros

REVIEWS

Reviews of CD release Piano Works by Christos Tsitsaros Centaur Records CRC2382

Tsitsaros's music is conventionally tonal, but incorporating atmospheric references to tonal inflections of the folk and church music of his native Cyprus. Figurations and piano textures which suggest piano music of the romantic era place the composer-who is his own first-rate interpreter here-in the tradition of virtuoso pianist-composers, who have often been drawn to write vivid impressions of time and place like those contained in this appealing recital.

(Records International Catalogue, September 1998, p.19.)

Pianist-composer Christos Tsitsaros was born in Cyprus in 1961, and received his formative education in the United States. He states in his program notes that he began improvising as soon as he started playing, at the age of seven. That extemporaneous quality of music making has continued to inform his mature work. His 1993 None Tales is a good example. The work is a suite of brief impressions, between one and three minutes in duration, ranging from syncopated dances and jazzy melodies pinned down with driving bass lines, to concise contrapuntal exercises. One can imagine the pianist happily working out the tuneful snippets at the instrument. The music is simple, fresh, and enjoyable, like a good peasant meal.
Tsitsaros represents himself with mainly small pieces on this CD, most just a few minutes long, that are tuneful and tautly constructed. His most significant foray into a larger form is his Cyprian Fantasy, a five part, Baroque-style suite played without breaks between the sections. The composer took two years to complete this piece, and his bigger ambitions have been rewarded with music that is dynamic, colorful, and technically engrossing. Despite the potentially sentimental inspiration if Cypriot landscapes, church bells, folk songs, and Byzantine hymns, Tsitsaros maintains a rigorous grasp of his diverse elements, producing a virtuosic concert piece with a vibrant profile.

Christos Tsitsaros plays his own music with vigor and precision. This is a fine album of uncomplicated, accessible new piano music.

(Fanfare, November/December 1998, pp. 349-350.)

Review of Songs Without Words

American Music Teacher, Feb-March, 2005 by Virginia Houser
Songs Without Words, by Christos Tsitsaros. Hal Leonard Corporation (7777 W. Bluemound Rd., P. O. Box 13819 Milwaukee, W153213), 2004. 39pp. $7.95. Late-intermediate--early-advanced.

This imaginative collection is a fresh addition to the late-intermediate piano repertoire that will motivate students with its beautiful sounds and emotional appeal.
Christos Tsitsaros has purposefully written this music to present students with "the kinds of challenges that are present in the late-intermediate and early-advanced literature of the great piano masters." Although these works are teaching pieces, they are musically satisfying. Written in the tradition and style of romantic character pieces, they use a rich harmonic vocabulary; they are in small-scale ABA form; they convey contrasting moods and use evocative titles; and, very importantly, the composer's adept handling of the musical and technical elements makes these pieces accessible to students without a sense of "writing down" to them.

The opening piece, "A Winter Fable," is immediately appealing with its spacious open writing, giving ample opportunity for balanced phrasing and dynamic shading between the sequenced patterns. "Scherzo" requires lightness in fingerwork and pedaling. The wide dynamic range with sudden changes, detailed pedal indications and passages of finger legato make "Searching" one of the more challenging pieces in the collection. "Mirage" effectively incorporates a continuous bass rhythmic ostinato. "On the Wings of a Song" is a small toccato with alberti-like accompaniment figuration that must be balanced against the melody. The delightful "Milonga De Los Ninos" contains a repetitive Latin style dance rhythm. The toccato-like B section of "Sounds of the Rain" is framed by contrasting A sections of gentle patterns with an Asian flavor.

From pre-college students to adult players, fro private or recital settings, this poetic music will entertain and satisfy. Reviewed by Virginia Houser, NCTM, Manhattan, Kansas.