Ek-stasis: Dionysus, Nymphs and Satyrs Zoe Samsarelou

• François Dandrieu (1682 - 1738): 2ème Livre, 6ème Suite:
• 1Dandrieu: 2ème Livre, 6ème Suite: La sirène01:51
• Déodat de Séverac (1872 - 1921): Les Naiades et le Faune Indiscret:
• 2Séverac: Les Naiades et le Faune Indiscret08:03
• Dimitri Terzakis (b. 1938): Satyr und Naiaden:
• 3Terzakis: Satyr und Naiaden06:39
• François Dandrieu: 2ème Livre, 6ème Suite:
• 4Dandrieu: 2ème Livre, 6ème Suite: La bacante01:37
• Paul Dukas (1865 - 1935): La plainte, au loin, du faune:
• 5Dukas: La plainte, au loin, du faune04:59
• Giorgos Koumendakis (b. 1959): From Tethys to the Mediterranean:
• 6Koumendakis: From Tethys to the Mediterranean05:03
• François Couperin (1668 - 1733): Pièces de Clavecin, 23ème Ordre:
• 7Couperin: Pièces de Clavecin, 23ème Ordre: Les satyres03:44
• Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918): Prélude à l’ après-midi d’ un faune:
• 8Debussy: Prélude à l’ après-midi d’ un faune10:33
• Lina Tonia (b. 1985): Prelude of a lost dream:
• 9Tonia: Prelude of a lost dream01:36
• François Couperin: Pièces de Clavecin, 4ème Ordre:
• 10Couperin: Pièces de Clavecin, 4ème Ordre: Les Bacchanales - No. 1 Enjouements bachiques02:02
• Mischa Levitzki (1898 - 1941): The enchanted nymph:
• 11Levitzki: The enchanted nymph05:58
• Nikos Skalkottas (1904 - 1949): Echo, AK 77:
• 12Skalkottas: Echo, AK 7703:45
• François Couperin: Pièces de Clavecin, 4ème Ordre:
• 13Couperin: Pièces de Clavecin, 4ème Ordre: Les Bacchanales - No. 2 Tendresses bachiques04:01
• 14Couperin: Pièces de Clavecin, 4ème Ordre: Les Bacchanales – No. 3 Fureurs bachiques02:28
• Florent Schmitt (1870 - 1958): Mirages Op. 70:
• 15Schmitt: Mirages Op. 70: No1 Et Pan, au fond des bles lunaires, s'accouda07:26
• Nestor Taylor (b. 1963): Erinyes:
• 16Taylor: Erinyes01:42
• Nikos Skalkottas: Procession to Acheron, AK 79c:
• 17Skalkottas: Procession to Acheron, AK 79c04:13
• Jean Philippe Rameau (1683 - 1765): Pièces de clavecin, 3ème Livre:
• 18Rameau: Pièces de clavecin, 3ème Livre: Les cyclopes03:31
• Jules Massenet (1842 - 1912): Bacchus:
• 19Massenet: Bacchus: Le bapteme par le vin01:39
• Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877 - 1952): Trois Morceaux, Op. 24:
• 20Bortkiewicz: Trois Morceaux, Op. 24: No. 2 Valse grotesque (Satyre)03:48
• Dimitri Terzakis: Ein Satyrspiel:
• 21Terzakis: Ein Satyrspiel03:24
• Louis-Claude Daquin (1694 - 1772): 1ère Suite:
• 22Daquin: 1ère Suite: La ronde bachique03:10
• Claude Debussy: Six epigraphies antiques:
• 23Debussy: Six epigraphies antiques: No. 1 Pour invoquer Pan, dieu du vent d’été02:30
• 24Debussy: Six epigraphies antiques: No.4 Pour la danseuse aux crotales02:36
• Dimitris Marangopoulos (b. 1949): Dionysus and the pirates, the voyage from Ikaria to Naxos:
• 25Marangopoulos: Dionysus and the pirates, the voyage from Ikaria to Naxos03:59
• Harry Farjeon (1878 - 1948): Pictures from Greece Op. 13:
• 26Farjeon: Pictures from Greece Op. 13: I. The Dryads01:54
• 27Farjeon: Pictures from Greece Op. 13: II. The Fates02:49
• 28Farjeon: Pictures from Greece Op. 13: III. The Muses01:55
• 29Farjeon: Pictures from Greece Op. 13: IV. Mercury01:15
• 30Farjeon: Pictures from Greece Op. 13: V. The Graces01:42
• 31Farjeon: Pictures from Greece Op. 13: VI. The Naiads02:54
• Paul Juon (1872 - 1940): Satyre und Nymphen – 9 Miniaturen für klavier:
• 32Juon: Satyre und Nymphen – 9 Miniaturen für klavier: Op. 18: I. Etude (Najaden im Quell)03:15
• 33Juon: Satyre und Nymphen – 9 Miniaturen für klavier: Op. 18: II. Idylle (Pan mit der Syrinx)04:13
• 34Juon: Satyre und Nymphen – 9 Miniaturen für klavier: Op. 18: III. Reverie (Traumende Oreade)04:50
• 35Juon: Satyre und Nymphen – 9 Miniaturen für klavier: Op. 18: IV. Intermezzo grotesque (Pan philosophiert)02:37
• 36Juon: Satyre und Nymphen – 9 Miniaturen für klavier: Op. 18: V. Valse lente (Dryaden reigen im Mondschein)04:34
• 37Juon: Satyre und Nymphen – 9 Miniaturen für klavier: Op. 18: VI. Elegie (Napaie in tiefer Betrubnis)02:26
• 38Juon: Satyre und Nymphen – 9 Miniaturen für klavier: Op. 18: VII. Humoresque (Pan von Bacchus kommend)01:46
• 39Juon: Satyre und Nymphen – 9 Miniaturen für klavier: Op. 18: VIII. Canzonetta (Liebestandelei)01:32
• 40Juon: Satyre und Nymphen – 9 Miniaturen für klavier: Op. 18: IX. Scherzo (Nymphe fiehl! Schnell! Satyr hascht dich)01:31
• Aspasia Nasopoulou (b. 1972): Krokeatis Lithos-Lakonia:
• 41Nasopoulou: Krokeatis Lithos-Lakonia05:09
• Total Runtime02:24:39

Info for Ek-stasis: Dionysus, Nymphs and Satyrs

Delve into the world of myths reconstructed in music by celebrated composers from different cultures and times. This unique album features three world premiere recordings, bringing fresh and exciting music to the programme. Greek pianist and professor Zoe Samsarelou has expertly curated a selection of works that weave together an interconnected narrative, taking you on a journey through the myth of Dionysus. From the works of Couperin, Rameau, Dandrieu, and Daquin to the eminent Greek composers of the 20th and 21st centuries and the Late Romantics in between, each piece is thoughtfully selected and presented.

The album is divided into themes of seduction, pathos, illusion, metamorphosis, transcendence, instinct, catharsis, mythos, paradox, and transition. This creates an immersive experience that guides the listener through the various stages of the myth and offers a musical perspective on the story. Accompanied by Zoe Samsarelou’s insightful prose on the collection and notes on the Greek composers featured in the program, Ek-stasis is more than just a listening experience. It’s a celebration of the Greek spirit that has influenced humanity for over 2,500 years, highlighting the creativity and ingenuity of these wonderful composers.

Zoe Samsarelou,

Zoe Samsarelou
is a Greek pianist, who also has a degree in Archaeology. ​

Her double album, with works for solo piano, titled “Ek-stasis-Dionysus, Nymphs and Satyrs”, has been released by Divine Art Records in the spring of 2023. ​

Ζoe Samsarelou studied the piano in Volos and at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, in Greece. She went on to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin and graduated from the Academy of Music and Theatre in Hamburg, Germany, under the guidance of Professor Marian Migdal. She attended courses at the International Salzburg Summer Academy with Professor Hans Leygraf, as well as with Professors Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and György Sebök in Berlin, and Julia and Konstantin Ganev in Thessaloniki. ​

Besides musical studies, Zoe Samsarelou has also graduated from the School of Archaeology at Aristotle University, Thessaloniki. She has always been interested in Mediterranean civilisations; in particular the ancient Greek world and its influence on musical compositions.

​ Inspired by Greek mythology, she has been giving themed recitals of unique compositions for piano over a number of decades. Notable examples include the piano recital within the context of the collaboration between the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki and the Louvre Museum under the title “Ancient Greek Philosophy and the Enlightenment”, and her latest appearance at the Festival des Forêts 2022 in Compiègne, France, in a performance titled “Apollon et Dionysos”. ​

Zoe’s repertoire consists of classical as well as contemporary compositions and works by Greek composers. She has given a great number of piano recitals and chamber music concerts in Greece and abroad. She has participated in festivals in Europe, Asia, and North Africa, (Greece, Germany, France, Italy, Malta, Turkey, Algeria, Egypt and Syria).

Zoe has been very active as a pianist in Mediterranean countries. She has performed at historical and iconic venues, such as the Library of Alexandria, the Opera House and the Arab Music Institute in Cairo, as well as the Public National Museum of Modern Art (MAMA) in Algiers, the Conservatorio Nicolò Paganini in Genoa and the High School of Music in Damascus. ​

A fervent believer in the power of music to unite, Zoe has collaborated with Turkish artists promoting Greek-Turkish friendship with performances across Greece and Turkey.

Her orchestral performances include solo appearances with orchestras in Greece and Turkey; she has broadcast on Greek National Radio and Television; and she has recorded a CD with works for solo piano composed by Astor Piazzolla with Arcadia Digital S.A.; and she has participated on the CD produced by the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, which includes works by Greek composers. ​

Her extensive teaching experience coupled with her desire to promote and enhance a group spirit in young musicians, led to her establishing the “Krama Piano Ensemble” for many players at one or two instruments, which consists of performances by her and her graduate students. She has also given masterclasses at Conservatories and Music High Schools in Genoa, Damascus, and Istanbul. ​

In 2000, Zoe founded the “International PelionFestival”, which is a summer music festival and academy on Mount Pelion, Central Greece, and has since been its Cultural Director. Zoe has taught at the University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki as piano instructor, and since 1994 she has been a Professor in the Piano Department at the State Conservatory in Thessaloniki.

Booklet for Ek-stasis: Dionysus, Nymphs and Satyrs