Oscar-winning composer returns to the Megaron
A familiar and popular artist with local audiences, Italian musician and composer Nicola Piovani will return to Greece for a concert in the Athens Concert Hall’s Alexandra Trianti Hall on April 29. In Athens, the light-classical composer will be joined by a five-member orchestra that will interpret well-known compositions from the maestro’s a long and fruitful career. At the age 64, the composer enjoys a large international audience, a relationship that began to develop in the 1960s. His close ties to the world of cinema and his collaborations with prominent directors have produced some of the most successful soundtracks of all time. The list of directors with whom Piovani has collaborated is a long one and includes leading Italian filmmakers such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Mario Monicelli, Nanni Moretti, Giuseppe Tornatore, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani and Federico Fellini, among others, as well as acclaimed international directors. It would be a mistake, however, to confine Piovani’s range of music to the film score category alone, as the Italian composer has produced major works for theater, television and ballet as well as chamber music. In addition to winning a Grammy and a Cesar, in 1998 he earned an Oscar for Best Original Dramatic Score for his work on Roberto Benigni’s «Life Is Beautiful.» In 2008, the French minister of culture appointed him an officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Apart from Piovani, who will conduct and play the piano, Marina Cesari will play the saxophone and the clarinet, Pasquale Filasto will play cello and guitar, Andrea Avena will be on double bass, with Christian Marini on drums, percussion and accordion. Athens Concert Hall, 1 Kokkali & Vas. Sofias, tel 210.728.2333, www.megaron.gr. For information on the event visit www.elvaevents.gr. Tickets range from 75 to 40 euros and 30 euros for students.
