30 September 2008, Strovolos Municipal Theatre, Lefkosia, 20:30
1 October 2008, Larnaka Municipal Theatre, 20:30
Soloists: Gypsy Devils
Music Direction: Peter Breiner
Tickets: €10 and €5 (Tel: 77772717)
General Information: 22 463144, 25 878744, 22 800933
Production: Papadopoulos and Shoinis Productions
In collaboration with the Embassy of the Slovak Republic
An impressive and unique programme, inspired from the Gypsy music. The programme includes both classical and traditional music and addresses to classical music lovers as well as a wider audience.
Gypsy Devils Orchestra is a gypsy orchestra composed by 8 successful performers who have studied in the state universities of Bratislava and Vienna. Stefan Banyak takes the lead of this new orchestra and launches a series of brand new projects. The orchestra consists of cimbalom, clarinet (tarogato), 2 violins, viola, cello and 2 double- basses. The repertory of the Gypsy Devils is extremely wide and universal, from pure gypsy improvisation, to Jewish klezmer music, folklore music of Slovakia, Hungary, Russia, Greece, Rumania, to classical hits, famous airs from operettas, musicals, movie music and jazz standards. This large repertory is arranged by the members of the group who engrave to their music a special touch of the gypsy style. In 2000 the Slovak National Music Academy rewarded the orchestra with three Grammies – the best orchestra, the best album and the best performers. The Orchestra also won the 1st prize “Best Gypsy Orchestra in the world” at the Gypsy Music Festival Ciechocinek in Poland, in 1998. In their projects, the orchestra cooperates with the greatest personalities and performers of all styles such as Peter Dvorsky, Martin Babjak, or Jolana Fogasova. The Gypsy Devils have already played in all over the world: USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Taiwan, Mexico, Spain, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Belgium, Holland, England, Germany and France. They have performed on the most prestigious stages, such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Komische Oper- Berlin, Konzerthaus- Berlin, Covent Garden Hall, Royal Opera House-London, Hans Max Saal-Munich, Smetana hall-Prague, Konzert und Kongressaal- Luzern, Concert Hall-Melbourne or Goldener Saal-Musiverein in Vienna.
Peter Breiner (1957) is known as a composer, conductor, pianist and arranger. He began to study piano in his early childhood (1961) and his exceptional results led to his early acceptance at the Conservatory in Kosice (1971). He studied piano (L. Kojanova), composition (J. Podprocky), conducting and percussion. In 1975-1981 he studied composition at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (former Czechoslovakia) with Prof. Alexander Moyzes, one of the most significant figures in modern Slovak music. Peter Breiner lives in Toronto, Canada since 1992. Mr Breiner’s own compositions have always been “multidimensional”. During his studies, he was fascinated by crossing over different musical worlds. Later, he preferred a synthesis of both polarized types of music which brings his music closer to the world of Leonard Bernstein. Breiner’s clever arrangements are perhaps the best known. His arrangements of national anthems of all participating countries were used during the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. One of the world’s most recorded musicians, with over 150 CDs in the last 10 years Breiner has conducted, often doubling as a pianist, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Mozart Orchestra, the Hungarian State Radio Orchestra, the Nicolaus Esterhazy Orchestra Budapest, the Polish Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra, the Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Capella Istropolitana, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra National de Lille, France, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, to mention just a few.
