Papastefanou gives surprise piano recital
A colorful mosaic of classical dances is on the bill at the Halandri Cultural Center this week as top Greek pianist Alexandra Papastefanou prepares for a surprise recital on Wednesday at 8.30 p.m. Her program is composed of Bela Bartok’s Dance Suite, Claude Debussy’s Waltz and Prelude from the «Mouvement de Habanera,» Alberto Ginastera’s Three Argentinean Dances, Maurice Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales, Chick Corea’s dances from «Children’s Song» and three dances from «Manuel Salinas,» an opera by Greek composer Periklis Koukos. Following her studies under local tutors and at the Athens Conservatory, Papastefanou received a scholarship from the Onassis Foundation to pursue the piano at Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Franz Liszt Academy of Budapest, before heading across the Atlantic to Bloomington, Indiana. Over the years, she has performed with big symphony orchestras and chamber music ensembles and given solo recitals around Europe, as well as in Israel, the USA and Mexico, gaining international critical acclaim. Her career in recording has also been a solid one, with her playing entire cycles, such as the sonatas of 18th century Venetian composer Baldassare Galuppi, Bach’s «Goldberg Variations» and the entire works of Schumann, Ravel and Bartok. Papastefanou is also active in promoting the work of Greek composers and works with contemporary music, playing pieces for piano and percussion. In Greece, she is a regular at the Athens Concert Hall and has appeared at the Herod Atticus Theater on several occasions. Halandri Cultural Center, 53 Garyttou, tel 210.639.3071.
