Nikolas Sideris (GR/UK) – O ihr Menschen
Recording for Download: “O ihr Menschen” – Susanne Kessel, piano
Nikolas Sideris about his piano piece “O ihr Menschen, die ihr mich für feindselig und misanthropisch haltet und erkläret, wie unrecht thut ihr mir“
“The quote, from which the title was formed, was taken from Das Heiligenstädter Testament by Ludwig van Beethoven which was written in 1802. In all his loneliness he had little to comfort him and in a letter he addresses this very issue by complaining on the people are judging him wrongly, even by assuming he is misanthropist. Beethoven was a revolutionary composer, but also a revolutionary human being. Believing in everything a society should be, he composed for his time, for the future generations to come, always concerned about the social issues around him. In a similar sense I feel that in our times, we are going through a major shift in what society is all about, for better or worst. No matter how close we feel, due to the Internet and our iphones, we still are left alone, lingering whether we should attempt to make human contact or not. My thoughts about all of the above are reflected in my work, a sarabande turned into a marche funèbre dedicated to Susanne Kessel, for her passion and for this project. Are we, maybe, becoming misanthropists, ourselves? Are we being led to a social extinction? I sincerely hope not…”
Sheet Music Edition Vol. 1 – available here: SHOP
Piano piece “O ihr Menschen” – in concert:
29th November 2014 – world premiere – Bonner Kunstverein – Susanne Kessel, piano
5th Juli 2015 – Redoute, Bonn – Susanne Kessel, piano
7th September 2015 – Post Tower Lounge, Bonn – Susanne Kessel, piano
29th September 2015 – Speicher am Kaufhauskanal, Hamburg – Susanne Kessel, piano
21th November 2015 – Bonner Kunstverein – Susanne Kessel, piano
11th May 2016 – Augustinum, Bad Neuenahr – Susanne Kessel, piano
4th December 2017 – Festival Nieuwe Muziek, Zwolle – Susanne Kessel, piano
14th January 2018 – Klavierhaus Klavins, Bonn – Susanne Kessel, piano
30th August 2018 – Klavierhaus KLavins, Bonn – Susanne Kessel, piano
17th August 2018 – Augustinum Bad Neuenahr – Susanne Kessel, piano
7th October 2018 – Schloß Raesfeld – Susanne Kessel, piano
21st Dezember 2018 – Wohnstift Beethoven, Bornheim – Susanne Kessel, piano
26th March 019 – Kammermusiksaal Beethoven-Haus Bonn – Susanne Kessel, piano
About Nikolas Sideris (*1977)
Nikolas Sideris has been studying music since the age of 5, and holds a PhD in Composition from Royal Holloway, University of London. He received his Masters in Composition from the same university in 2005 with distinction and he also has a diploma in Piano with honours, and degrees in harmony, counterpoint and fugue. His studies in the UK were funded by the National Scholarship Foundation of Greece (IKY). His works have been performed in the UK, USA, Germany, Israel, and Greece and range from small works for solo instruments, to large works for string orchestras. His work Piano Stories for piano won the 1st prize in the Second International Composition Competition “Artistes en Herbes” in Luxembourg in 2013. He’s received commissions by orchestras and soloists from around the world and his work The City Under Different Eyes I for Solo Piano and Audio Manipulation was featured in an adaptive audio playback software system. He is also active in the computer games industry, as a composer and sound designer and the game that he scored, in 2012, Privates by Size Five Games won a BAFTA for best Educational – Secondary Game. He is the owner of Editions Musica Ferrum, based in London UK.
Website Nikolas Sideris/Editions Musica Ferrum
Nikolas Sideris über Ludwig van Beethoven”:
“I can’t imagine my life without the music of Ludwig van Beethoven. He has been accompanying me since the early ages and now, as a professional publisher, he’s accompanying me, for the last 5 years, continuously and has introduced me to people who have become some of my best friends.”
Photo gallery: Nikolas Sideris in Bonn at “250 piano pieces for Beethoven”
21. November 2015 – Bonner Kunstverein
