“An album that, at the same time, doesn’t seems the ‘typical’ Darmstadt contemporary music and is far away from the classical guitar records’ clichés.”
Neuguitars, Italy
INTERVIEWS (ARCHIVE)
August 7, 2014 / Online Website / Language: German
Komponist Marios Joannou Elia im Gespräch
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Stadt Ulm
March 20, 2014 / Newspaper / Language: German
Event as an idiosyncratic aesthetic art character
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Dr. Edith Rabenstein (Passauer Zeitung / Feuilleton)
The Cypriot composer Marios Joannou Elia, born 1978, is the composer in residence at the International Guitar Festival «Passausaiten», which begins this Friday. The musician has studied composition, guitar, music education and music theory at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, as well as musicology at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. He works internationally as a composer and event artist. On the opening night in the Passausaiten, there will be a premiere of his commissioned composition “Alas” (= salt) for flute and guitar. On April 4 the Miscelanea Quartet will perform two works by Elia including “Staubzucker”, which won a video prize on YouTube. You can experience the artist live on Sunday at an open conversation in the auditorium Niedernburg. The PNP spoke in conversation with Marios Joannou Elia advance of the occasion:
ER: You are an artist who is immersed in event culture. Why must everything be an event today? MJE: My vision is to bring high culture and a contemporary event together, in an energetic ‘tension field’. Every event must underly a precise concept which matches the relevant environmental conditions – such as venue, large number of non-homogeneous groups of musicians and cutting edge technology. The definition of the term “event” is not to be misunderstood – in the case of my work – with its usual connotation – as a random event that happens without intentional cause, or as an act of mere and ‘content-empty’ entertainment; but as a kaleidoscopic profiled genre with an idiosyncratic aesthetic art character…
March 10, 2013 / Newspaper / Language: Greek
Marios Joannou Elia – The Composer Behind “The Work of the Century”
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Giannis Karambatsos (Politis News)
One of his works has been described as “the work of the century”. And he has been called a global “musical phenomenon” and “a pioneer among composers of his generation”…
“Marios, you said in a previous interview that, since your childhood, you liked to listen to sounds and not just music. Is it true that starting point and inspiration for you were the constructions of buildings taken over by your father? What other sounds of everyday life grab your attention?”
March 22, 2012 / TV / Language: Greek
Marios Joannou Elia at CyBC’s Cultural Interest Television Show “Entechnos”
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RIK 1
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Marios not only has an impressive career, but also an innovative artistic activity. His fame spread out when he used vehicles as musical instruments, for example in a composition written for choir and motorcycles. (…)
“You have been named “the most important cultural personality of Cyprus abroad”. We would like to take things from the start. Tell us, how did you start composing?”March 10, 2012 / Magazine / Language: Greek
Marios Joannou Elia – The Musician who Conquered Europe
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Constantinos Iasonos (Echo Press)
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Marios Joannou Elia has taken music and the approach to composition one step further, using cars, machinery, ships and airplanes to make music. His latest project, the super production of “autosymphonic”, gained worldwide attention: New York Times, Toronto Sun, Huffington Post, Spiegel, Deutsche Welle, Reuters, etc. Some months before the selection of the European Capital of Culture 2017, such a project that promotes culture and innovation would help (the candidate city of) Paphos immensely.
March 11, 2012 / TV / Language: Greek
Marios Joannou Elia – A Musical Phenomenon and Pioneer of his Generation
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RIK 1
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Marios Joannou Elia is one of the most important and influential Greek artists of the younger generation. In this interview he talks with Kostas Charalambides about some aspects of his work.
“You have managed to ‘hamonize’ machinery and vehicles. How?” [Watch Intervie]September 9, 2011 / Radio / Language: German
Vor der Mannheimer Uraufführung der Autosinfonie von Marios Joannou Elia
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Eberhard Reuß (SWR 2, Journal am Morgen)
Olaf Brinkmann (SWR 3, Die Nachmittagsshow)
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It is not the champagne corks that pop in Mannheim but the car doors. This year Germany is celebrating the birth of the automobile which is a very significant anniversary. There is a magfificent spectacle taking place there called the “autosymphonic”.
September 9, 2011 / TV / Language: German
“Autosymphonic” Komponist steht Rede und Antwort
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Nachrichtenportal Rhein-Neckar
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Friendly and courteous, the composer Marios Joannou Elia presents the 164-page score of Mannheim’s most exceptional concert: the “autosymphonic”. [Watch Interview]September 10, 2011 / Newspaper / Language: Romanian
Rolls-Royce și Ferrari, doua dintre instrumentele primei autosimfonii din lume
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Cristian Bándea (Evenimentul Zilei)
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Acordurile primei autosimfonii din lume vor răsuna astăzi în orașul german Mannheim, locul de naștere al automobilului, în prezența a peste 20.000 de spectatori. Într-un interviu acordat EVZ, compozitorul Marios Joannou Elia explică ce este autosimfonia, ce au în comun automobilele și muzica și cum a ajuns să folosească mașinile pe post de instrumente. [Read Interview]September 9, 2011 / Newspaper / Language: German
“Es ist eine emotionale Mobilität”
Komponist Marios Joannou Elia über sein Werk “autosymphonic”
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Stefan M. Dettlinger (Mannheimer Morgen)
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Tomorrow night the Friedrichsplatz Square will be transformed into a meeting place: At the finale of Baden-Württemberg’s Automobile Summer, eighty vehicles will interact with a choir, a symphony orchestra and Soehne Mannheims. “A work by Marios Joannou Elia, Autosymphonic will be performed.”
“Dr. Elia, a year ago we were sitting here and you raved about your plans to compose a fascinating multimedia event for a large public audience. Did your concept work out?” [Read Interview]September 9, 2011 / Magazine / Language: German
mica-Interview mit Marios Joannou Elia
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Doris Weberberger (MICA – Music Information Center Austria)
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You are currently working on the premiere of “autosymphonic” which is a work for 80 cars, symphony orchestra, 120 percussionists, choir, children’s choir, Söhne Mannheims and Xavier Naidoo, live electronics and a 360-degree sound system. In some of your other works you have also employed cars. What is so special about cars that fascinates you? [Read Interview]June 4, 2011 / Newspaper / Language: German
Ferrari als Geige, Traktor als Tuba
Der Komponist Marios Joannou Elia setzt Autos als Instrumente ein
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Thomas Manhart (Salzburger Nachrichten)
January 9, 2011 / Newspaper / Language: Greek
Autosymphonic: When a Rolls Royce passes from a casting
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Meropi Moyseos (Politis Parathyro)
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Having the absolute confidence of the German people in his new grand project, Marios Joannou Elia is internationally regarded as one of the most important contemporary composers.
“How did you come up with the idea to use cars as musical instruments?” [Read Interview, p. 1, 2-3]
January 2011 / Magazine / Language: German
Young, International, Lovable: Marios Joannou Elia
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Hanna Weber (Quadrat)
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At the New Year’s Reception of the City of Mannheim, Marios Joannou Elia and his team present a foretaste of “autosymphonic”.
[Read Interview]December 24, 2010 / Magazine / Language: English
Humans and Machines: An Interview with Composer Marios Joannou Elia at the Royal Festival Hall in London
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Paul Michael Coleman (University of Westminster, Zeitschichten)
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I am delighted to have Marios Joannou Elia with me here at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Marios, an internationally acclaimed composer for his pioneering and visionary works, composes not only for concert halls and opera houses, but also for large-scale multimedia events.
August 2010 / Newspaper / Language: German
“Ich möchte ein Bürger-Event”
Komponist Marios Joannou Elia über “Autosymphonic”
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Stefan M. Dettlinger (Mannheimer Morgen)
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On September 10, 2011 the Cypriot composer Marios Joannou Elia will present his work “autosymphonic” at Mannheim’s Friedrichplatz, which will feature an orchestra and a chorus of cars. We speak with the composer about the major event dedicated to the 125th Birthday of the automobile.
“Dr. Elia, you have already written an opera about the car for the Stuttgart State Opera, now you are working on a “Car Symphony”. Do you like cars?”
September 9, 2011 / TV / Language: German
“Autosymphonic” Komponist steht Rede und Antwort
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Nachrichtenportal Rhein-Neckar
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Friendly and courteous, the composer Marios Joannou Elia presents the 164-page score of Mannheim’s most exceptional concert: the “autosymphonic”. [Watch Interview]
August 2010 / Magazine / Language: German
Multimediales Gesamtkunstwerk für alle Sinne
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Ulrich Erler & Dr. Eva Pinter (m:convisions)
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Eine der revolutionärsten Erfindungen der Weltgeschichte feiert 2011 ihren 125. Geburtstag: das Automobil. Baden-Württemberg setzt das Geburtstagskind bei zahlreichen Veranstaltungen im Land mit allen seinen Facetten in Szene. Krönender Abschluss im Spätsommer ist die Uraufführung der für diesen Anlass komponierten „autosymphonic“ – ein musikalisch-visuelles Gesamtkunstwerk. [Read Interview]February 8, 2009 / Magazine / Language: English
To widen the spectrum of possibilities
An interview with Marios Joannou Elia
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Dr. Matthias Roeder (Harvard University, Zeitschichten)
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The young Cypriot composer Marios Joannou Elia talks about his compositions for unusual performance spaces, the challenges of working outside of the opera house and concert hall, and his upcoming projects. Elia, who has studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, is the recipient of the Witold Lutoslawski Award and the Kazimierz Serocki Prize in Warsaw, the Edison Denisov Prize in Moscow and the BMW Patronize Award of the Musica Viva in Munich. He received numerous commissions and his music has been performed in prestigious performance venues such as the Staatsoper Stuttgart, the Berliner Philharmonie, as well as the Staatsoper Hannover.
“Marios, in some of your recent works you have focused on bringing music to non-traditional performance spaces. What is your aim in doing so? Can you give us some specific examples of how the choice of venue affects your compositions?”December 18, 2008 / Newspaper / Language: German
Hupkonzert im Sehnsuchtsraum
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Martin Mezger (Esslinger Zeitung)
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Das Auto steht heutzutage oft für Träume und private Fluchträume.Deshalb biegt die Stuttgarter Staatsoper mit ihrer jüngsten Zeitoper „Schwabengarage – Die Jagd“ dort ein, wo der Titel eh hinweist: in der Schwabengarage, dem Autohaus in der Cannstatter Straße. Das Stück handelt von der Urlaubsfahrt einer Familie, von der Verwandlung der Garage in einen Wald, von einem Sommernachtstraums zwischen Technik und Natur.
“Dr. Elia, wie kann sich eine Garage in einen Wald verwandeln?”
Elia: Es geht um die Gegenpole von Natur und Technik, Vergangenheit und Gegenwart, Realität und Vorstellung. Die Garage ist ein Transformationsraum, wo sich Vorhandenes in Imaginäres verwandelt. Der Wald ist ein symbolisches Motiv der Sehnsucht nach sich selbst und nach einer Ursprünglichkeit, die in der technischen Welt verloren ging. Gerade die Technik ist aber das einzige Mittel, den Naturzustand zurückzugewinnen – und sei es im simplen Sinn einer Fahrt in den Wald. Damit wird die Technik selbst zu einer zweiten Natur. Deshalb bezeichnen wir das Stück als „Naturoper“…December 2008 / Magazine / Language: German
Komponist Marios Joannou Elia im Gespräch mit Dramaturg Xavier Zuber über die Zeitoper “Schwabengarage – Die Jagd”
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Xavier Zuber (Journal des Staatstheaters Stuttgart)
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Die Verheißung nach absoluter Mobilität ist ein Freiheitsversprechen, das insbesondere Maria zu einem Traum animiert, dem schließlich die ganze Familie folgen wird.
Nein – es handelt sich nicht um einen Werbefilm, sondern dies ist die Anfangssituation einer zeitoper, die im Dezember in der Schwabengarage Stuttgart ihre Uraufführung haben wird. Marios Joannou Elia, der Komponist dieser Naturoper, komponiert hier ein Musiktheater, das über Automotoren bis zur menschlichen Stimme ein Autohaus in einen Naturpark verwandelt…
May 2007 / Newspaper / Language: German
Fragen an Marios Joannou Elia
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Peter Paul Kainrath (Spuren – Zeitung für Gegenwärtige)
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Das neue Stück von Marios Joannou Elia: neues Werk für Mandoline und Ensemble wird am Samstag 8. September um 20.00 Uhr vom Österreichischen Ensemble für Neue Musik in der Fleckviehversteigerungshalle Rotholz uraufgeführt.
“Sie sagten, Musik im Blut haben… ist es bedeutsam, woher dieses “Blut” kommt?”May 5, 2007 / DVD / Language: German
Adriana Hölszky im Gespräch mit Marios Joannou Elia
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Akademie der Künste, Berlin
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Adriana Hölszky: Wie wird die Beweglichkeit des Klangraums geschaffen? Öfters nicht durch die Tonhöhen, da Elia ein Misstrauen gegenüber der Relevanz der absoluten Tonhöhen in einem meist homophonen Satztypus hat.
Der Zusammenhang zwischen den Elementen wird durch Analogie geschaffen, nicht durch Substanz. Die ‘Zeit’ vergeht ‘Schritt für Schritt’ im ständigen ‘auf und ab’. Das ist wie eine ‘Hügellandschaft’. Man gewinnt den Eindruck einer ständigen Flucht vor der Endgültigkeit einer Determinierung trotz der minutiösen Notation aller Parameter in der Partitur. Es wird auf die Struktur gemeint. Mann kann ein Schwebezustand der Strukturen (wie Eisschollen über dem Ozean) bemerken. Der Blick enthält nicht den definitiven strukturellen Sog. Die Strukturen sind nicht ‘geerdet’. Daher eine Überdimensionierung des Augenblicks. Die auskomponierte Klangfarbe wirkt stellvertretend für die strukturelle Verantwortung…INTERVIEW 1 [RIK 1 2011 / in Greek / 31 Min]
INTERVIEW 2 [m:convisions 2011 / in German / 11 Min]
