The Great Composer Kyriakos Sfetsas Has Passed Away

Having written everything from symphonic music to jazz and fusion, and from electronic music to original scores for films such as “I Parangelia” and “To Stigma” by Pavlos Tassiou, Kyriakos Sfetsas — one of Greece’s most distinguished composers — passed away at the age of 80.

In a post on social media, Nikos Youssef from the band “Ypogea Revmata” wrote:

“Kyriakos Sfetsas is no longer with us. Yesterday, after midnight, he left for worlds unknown, to meet with Gogu, Christou, Hatziniko, Chalaris, Terezakis, and so many other friends who left earlier. We bid farewell to one of the greatest composers of our country. The ceremony will take place on Friday in Ritsona.”

The recorded electroacoustic work Smog, composed in 1974 following a commission by choreographer Michel Cazerta for the eponymous ballet (which premiered on October 18th of that year in Paris), is considered one of the most significant pieces in Kyriakos Sfetsas’ extensive body of work. In an interview with Theodosis Michos for MAGAZINE in December 2022, Sfetsas discussed Smog on the occasion of its release on a double vinyl edition (180g) with new mastering and artwork, published by Goodheart Productions.

Kyriakos Sfetsas was born on September 29, 1945, in Amfilochia. From a young age, he lived and grew up in Lefkada, where he first learned music at the Philharmonic Society of Lefkada and at the National Conservatory of the city with the late Fotis Vlachos. He continued his studies at the National Conservatory of Athens (1963-66), learning piano with Krinò Kalomoiris and theory with Michalis Vourtsis. On August 30, 1964 (Lefkada), he accompanied Maria Callas on piano during her last performance in Greece.

After the military dictatorship of the 1960s, he moved to Paris (September 1967) where, as a scholarship student of the French Government (1969-72), he continued his studies with composer and educator Max Deutsch (composition, analysis, orchestral conducting). He also received advice from Iannis Xenakis, Luigi Nono, and Henri Dutilleux.

His first public presentation of his work (Episodes for Solo Piano) occurred shortly after the May 1968 protests in France, in the Latin American Room in Paris, receiving positive reviews. From then on, his music began to be presented regularly, with commissions from institutions like the French National Radio, the Ars Nova Orchestra, and the Vitry Dance Ensemble. Soon after, his works were performed at major contemporary music festivals such as the international festivals in Royan, Reims, Bordeaux, and Paris, while he became a regular collaborator with Michel Cazerta’s modern dance company. Some of his Parisian works were published by Editions Transatlantiques, and in 1974, his first record was released in Paris: Four-Channel Electroacoustic Music for the Ballet Smog, one of the first works worldwide for four-channel magnetic tape.

Collaboration with Manos Hadjidakis

In Greece, Sfetsas first appeared as a composer at the 4th Greek Week of Contemporary Music (Athens, September 19-26, 1971) with his piece Dokimologia.

He repatriated to Greece in the fall of 1975 and, at the invitation of Manos Hadjidakis, worked as an extraordinary producer for the Third Program of the Greek National Radio (1975-76). In 1977, he became a permanent employee of the Greek Radio and Television (ERT), serving as the director of the musical sections of the Second and First Programs, and from the summer of 1982 until January 1994, he was the director of the Third Program of ERT.

From 1999, he lived permanently and worked in Lefkada, the place where he had grown up and first learned music. From that year until 2002, he was the artistic director of the Lefkada Municipality’s Cultural Center and the cultural institutions “Feasts of Word and Art,” “International Percussion Festival,” and “International Folklore Festival.”

A Wealth of Musical Works

Sfetsas’ portfolio includes a significant number of compositions: symphonic, choral, stage music (ballet, theater), chamber music, electronic music, works for solo instruments, jazz and fusion compositions, and songs with poetry from Greek and foreign poets. From the 1980s onwards, he also composed music for cinema. His score for I Parangelia by Pavlos Tassiou won the award for best music at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in 1980. In 1982, he composed the music for To Stigma by the same director, and in 1986 for the film I Nyhta Me Tin Silena by Dimitris Panagiotatos. In 1991, he composed music for Nyxterini Exodos and Klisti Strofi by Menios Ditsas and Nikos Grammatikos, respectively. In 1993, he signed the music for Epohi Ton Dolofonon by the latter.

In the spring of 1991, he released his first digital CD, Silent Days, with the company UTOPIA, and in November 1993, the CD Diplochromia, a tribute to the art of the great performer of traditional music, Vasilis Soukas, featuring live recordings of his works Diplochromia and Lyrical Suite (from the Heraklion ’88 and Patras ’87 festivals).

Global Recognition

In 1999, all of his recorded works were reissued in 8 digital CDs by FINEA SOUND of the S. Gavriilidis Editions. Many of his recent works have been commissions from Greek and international cultural bodies and organizations and have been performed in Europe, Australia, and the United States by renowned ensembles, including the Bolshoi Soloists, the Frankfurt Ensemble Modern, the Polyrythmia Ensemble of Sofia, the Okada Percussion Group of Tokyo, the Russo and Mlada Quartets, and the Symphony Orchestras of Leipzig, Ljubljana, ABC (Australian Radio), and ALEA (Boston University), as well as the orchestras of ERT and the Thessaloniki State Orchestra. Since the opening of the Athens Concert Hall, many of his works have been commissioned and performed with prominent Greek and international soloists and ensembles, including organist Daniel Chorzempa and the Camerata Orchestra.

Many of his works have been published by Editions Transatlantiques in Paris and X. Nakos – K. Papagrigoriou Music Editions in Athens.