Composer and teacher Babis (Charalambos) Kanas is one of the significant figures in contemporary Greek music, with a long-standing presence in composition and pedagogy. Born in 1952 in Neo Faliro, he studied flute and advanced theory at the Athens Conservatory, where he later taught generations of students advanced theory. He taught composition at the Kentrikon, Melanthio, Kodaly and Mantzaros Conservatories, having himself been a student of the prominent Greek composer Yiannis A. Papaioannou in the field. As a composer, he remains highly creative and recently released the digital album Relief(s) for flute and string orchestra.
The recording took place from January 9 to 12, 2025, at the “Artemis” Art and Culture Center in Alimos, with the strings of the Philarmonia Orchestra of Athens conducted by Byron Fidetzis. Theodora Iordanidou, a member of the orchestra since its founding in 2016, is the flute soloist.
Mr. Kanas, I almost always find you at the concerts of the Philarmonia Orchestra of Athens. I assume you find their activities interesting. How do you evaluate them?
I have been following the Philarmonia Orchestra since the day its establishment was announced. I learned then that one of its main goals was the promotion of Greek creation, something I soon saw being realized (unlike other cases…). That being said, I then observed the rapid maturation of an orchestra of mostly young musicians, which has so far showcased both classical and contemporary works, new conductors, and soloists. I hope and wish that this difficult endeavor will continue as much as possible amidst the adversities of our time…
Why did you choose it for the recording of your latest work?
The reasons vary. Beyond all that I mentioned above (including the difficulty for a contemporary Greek work to get a turn for a spot in the programs of other musical ensembles), I looked forward to the possibility of recording the work with Byron Fidetzis as conductor, with whom I have known for fifty years, and Theodora Iordanidou as soloist, a member of the orchestra, whose musical quality I had the pleasure of appreciating during the performance of a work that, together with her husband Vangelis Stathoulopoulos, they honored me by asking me to write, and which was subsequently recorded and released, among others, on CD by Irida Music.
What place does the new work, just released, hold in your creative output so far?
The completion of the composition of this work (August 2022) coincided with my birthday. Turning seventy is, certainly, significant… on the other hand, it marks the passage to the next “level” which, of course, cannot be easier than the previous ones, otherwise the game would be rather boring… Thoughts which, combined with the end of summer, leave a bittersweet taste, something like amaretto or Campari, to which this musical treat of mine also brings, something like an “overview of the journey”…
So, does it have an autobiographical character? Moments, memories, experiences you share with the listener…
Regarding “musical autobiography,” I will mention something I heard from the late Kostas Klavvas, with whom I had a long and fruitful collaboration: “The world is not interested in your personal life“… Easily misunderstood, but beyond that, I think every work contains, more or less, “something from the life” of its creator. In all our lives there are moments of joy, love, sorrow, anger, sarcasm, despair, the echo of each of which cannot but exist, even subconsciously, within the work. But (and here Klavvas’s phrase “ties in” for me), even if this is the conscious intention, it must be done in such a way that you don’t “give yourself away,” so to speak, not “put it on display” but allow the listener to find their own emotion, which may coincide (a lot, a little, or not at all) with what you want to say, given that music is and always has been an abstract art.
The work has five parts. Is it a collection, is it a suite…?
Although not stated in the title, the general form can be called a Suite in the sense the term took in the post-Baroque era, when it came to mean the free succession of pieces without particular definition of their form.
As I had pointed out for a similar work of mine, Partita op.15 (1991), a composer who has been a flutist cannot but have somewhere in the back of his mind Bach’s B minor suite… After thirty-something years and all that has changed in the world and in each of us in the meantime, the use of this particular form in terms of structure and harmonic style is not a “return” but a timeless tool.
Is there a continuity with the older work?
In Partita op.15, then commissioned by Camerata, the first for a Greek work, the Baroque elements were somewhat more evident, primarily in the titles of the movements (Ouverture, Courante, Polonaise, Gavotte, Sarabande, Gigue). Now, with the echo of that older work coming from the past, “Relief(s)”, whose title plays with the double meaning of the word (relief – bas-relief), I feel it closes the circle by describing a “distillation” within a quite different environment, distancing itself from conflicts, disappointments and whatever else comes with the years…
However, the rendering of various moments and emotions I mentioned before – and because I always seek contrast – comes with alternations that I believe correspond to the characterization “reliefs” within the otherwise mostly calm atmosphere, into which the first movement (Romance) places us, while the second (Capriccio) with a somewhat “mischievous” character corresponds to the Gigue, the third (Hésitation) is a slow waltz in a nostalgic atmosphere with the interposition of a livelier middle section like a Trio. The fourth (Gavotte) is what the title says. Fifth and sixth movements (Villanelle & Fandango) are played without interruption leading to the finale. And even though most movements do not have Baroque titles, the overall structure of the work generally retains that of the old suite.
Generally, in your music, you borrow from many genres and eras: jazz, ethnic, rag, traditional music, baroque, Latin, light song… are there such references here?
Indeed, but I can say that this particular work has remained within “classical” frameworks regarding form and harmony. In the second and fourth movements, the form is contrasted with the somewhat expanded tonality for a Baroque style, while the last two have a somewhat “folklore” mood.
You studied with one of the most important proponents of avant-garde in Greece, Yiannis A. Papaioannou. However, you followed a different path.
The truth is that I spent a large part of my youth at a time when the avant-garde was making its noisy entry into Greek musical affairs. I remember one afternoon when our whole group was gathered around the radio that would broadcast the notorious concert at the Herodeion by the Experimental Orchestra with Hatzidakis conducting, presenting, among other works, Xenakis’s “Eonta”. I understood nothing (I was twelve years old), but neither did I later feel anything drawing me to that story. But during my systematic involvement with music, studying theory and flute, I discovered 20th-century music through the works of Prokofiev, Bartók, Hindemith, Poulenc, Martinů, Jolivet, Dutilleux, Honegger, Milhaud, Villa-Lobos, where I saw my musical, let’s say, “taste” being formed. And my thought was, to put it somewhat simply, to create such things myself someday. And here I want to emphasize that, contrary to what I have heard from others at times, Papaioannou never tried to push me towards anything other than what, I imagine, he saw “suited” me. Of course, I also practiced dodecaphony and atonality, but purely as part of the composition lesson, which proved useful like any stylistic exercise – e.g., to “break the salt” of tonality – but only up to that point. And when at some point I presented him with my first complete work, the Sonata for flute and piano, recorded and played by me and my friend Yiannis Michaelides, Papaioannou, after listening to it, told me “I hope I also contributed to this result.” However, the environment was not particularly receptive. There was the attitude of “but you’re writing ‘chords,’ are you in your right mind?” The truth is that I never understood why others should have an opinion on how I should write music… Nevertheless, cases soon emerged, such as Schnittke, who, by providing the alibi of postmodernism, generally pushed the situation towards greater “tolerance” for things that previously bore the stigma of being outdated, even leading to their belated embrace by many erstwhile bitter opponents…
Besides those you mentioned, which other composers influenced you and still do?
Through the flute repertoire, I had the opportunity to get to know in depth and breadth, on the one hand, the Baroque composers, with J.S. Bach above all, and on the other hand, as I mentioned before, the 20th-century composers in whom I saw the evolution of “classical” harmony outside the Second Viennese School. A particular example is the case of Villa-Lobos, who combined the enormous legacy of South American folklore with Baroque counterpoint (Bachianas Brasileiras and elsewhere), as well as Ginastera and other, let’s say, “exotic” creators… My late teacher Urs Rüttimann had said, among many other useful things, “genius comes from the village”!
The fact, as you already pointed out, that you are a flutist yourself, what does it mean for a work in which the flute plays a leading role?
My relationship with the flute ended at some point, but it proved invaluable for my development as a composer. On the one hand, because as a performer I learned what it means to be on the “other” side of the music stands, and on the other hand, because being familiar with the instrument’s technique, I felt more comfortable with what and how I would write, sometimes with the “cunning” of making it seem “difficult” without actually being so… In any case, virtuosity alone is not a particular pursuit of mine.
I believe you have collaborated with Theodora Iordanidou before. How important is the collaboration with the soloist in the creation of a new work?
When starting a new work for solo instrument or instruments, I usually have in mind the person who might play it, whether we have agreed on it or not in other cases. Now, generally speaking, the composer is supposedly obliged to know the technical capabilities of the instruments for which they are writing. But since this is not always possible, it is good not to be “ashamed” to ask the performer’s opinion. However, there have been cases, e.g., (classical) works for violin, where, because the composer was not a violinist, they pushed the soloist to find new solutions, thus evolving the instrument’s technique. I must say, however, that in modern times there has been an abuse of this phenomenon, elevating it to an end in itself, something I believe is not to the benefit of music. To speak about this particular work, even though it was not written specifically for Theodora, I, having the experience I mentioned earlier from her performances of my works, was certain that the piece was in very good hands.
Finally, how do you think contemporary Greek art music should be promoted?
This is a question that becomes more critical day by day. And it concerns Greek music, but also music in general. I suspect the existence of a contradiction: Greek and generally “learned” music is played more often than ever, but becomes less and less understood. The reason, I think, has to do with the unwillingness, perhaps even inability, I would dare say, of the general public to spend more time understanding a new work. This may be due to the fact that “intellectual” products, including music, are offered in increasingly “light” and “small” portions… But this is a topic for a big discussion. And to conclude on an optimistic note, I must mention that at the Philarmonia concerts, as well as others, I see a new audience gradually forming with clear and strong interest in what is happening. Of course, it will take time until the foundations are laid to support the in-depth reception of both classical and contemporary creation, Greek and foreign. And this is one reason why the presence of Philarmonia in the immediate, near, and distant future is of great importance; it must continue at all costs, and congratulations and thanks are due to Nikos Maliaras and all those who strive for it. I also personally thank you for this interview, which I hope provided some useful information.
Thank you, it was an honor.
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