THE CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921): Le carnaval des animaux (1886)

I. Introduction et marche royale du lion – Andante maestoso

II. Poules et coqs – Allegro

III. Hémiones (animaux véloces) – Presto furioso

IV. Tortues – Andante maestoso

V. L’éléphant – Allegretto pomposo

VI. Kangourous – Moderato

VII. Aquarium – Andantino

VIII. Personnages à longues oreilles – Ad libitum

IX. Le coucou au fond des bois – Andante

X. Volière – Moderato grazioso

XI. Pianistes – Allegro moderato

XII. Fossiles – Allegro ridicolo

XIII. Le cygne – Andantino grazioso

XIV. Finale – Molto allegro

Performers: 

Vicky Vassiliadi — flute 

Ioannis Manolakakis — clarinet 

Emil Kuyumcuyan — xylophone

Ypapanti Alexandropoulou — glockenspiel 

Angeliki Giannopoulou, Maria Papapetropoulou — piano

Felix Froschhammer, Antonios Maziotis — violin

Sophia Anagnostou — viola

Indira Rahmatulla — cello

Tashko Tasheff — double bass

Lilly Triantari — narration (in Greek)

Loukas Theodosopoulos — dancing

Panagiotis Adam — scenography 

Vicky Vassiliadi, born in Athens, studied at the Philosophical School of the University of Athens and graduated with honours in flute from the Athenaeum Conservatory under Stella Gadedi. She continued advanced studies in Paris at the Conservatoire de Boulogne with P. Y. Artaud and participated in masterclasses with renowned flutists, including W. Bennett and J. Cl. Gerard. She also studied traditional Greek singing with Domna Samiou and is active in lyrical singing and acting. A former member of the Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra, she has performed widely in solo and chamber music settings in Greece. She collaborates with leading musical institutions and is a member of the vocal ensemble “Melifono.” As an educator, she has taught in Primary Education and has been a flute instructor at the Kalamata Municipal Conservatory since 1987. In 2022, she received an award for her theatrical monologue “Iphigenia’s Exit”.

Born in Kalamata, Ioannis Manolakakis is a graduate of the Kalamata Municipal Conservatory (class of Marios Molandonis) and the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied with the Henry Wood Scholarship. He studied clarinet with Barnaby Robson, Janet Hilton, Tim Lines, and the renowned soloist Michael Collins, orchestral conducting with Peter Stark and Natalia Luis-Bassa, and composition with Alison Kay. He has distinguished himself through his participation in demanding orchestral ensembles in London, performing under the baton of acclaimed conductors such as Alistair King, Timothy Reynish, and Bernard Haitink. In 2013, he toured with the Neue Philharmonie München, giving concerts in Munich and Azerbaijan. Ioannis has contributed to major recordings for the BBC, as well as to numerous film and documentary soundtracks and premieres of contemporary compositions. He currently works as a clarinettist with the Kalamata Municipal Philharmonic Orchestra, the ERT Music Ensembles, and various chamber music groups.

Emil Kuyumcuyan is an internationally acclaimed percussionist, composer, and electronic musician of Croatian, Greek, Armenian, and African descent, born in Istanbul. He is a winner of the Tromp International Percussion Competition, the Stockholm International Music Competition, and the Luxembourg International Percussion Competition. Emil performs worldwide as a soloist and with ensembles such as Les Percussions de Strasbourg, Trio K/D/M, Ensemble Intercontemporain, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. His work spans contemporary classical, electronic, and multimedia performance. He has composed for KoelnMusik, the Baden-Württemberg Art Foundation, and the World Marimba Competition. His first electronic album “It’s Not About Me” was released in 2023 on WIC Recordings. Emil studied in Stuttgart and Lyon. He is Professor of Percussion at the HfMDK Frankfurt and has taught at CRR de Rennes and RNCM Manchester. He is regularly invited as a juror at international competitions and is endorsed by Kolberg Percussion and Turkish Cymbals. emilkuyumcuyan.com 

Ypapanti Alexandropoulou was born in Kalamata and began her musical studies in 1994 at the Kalamata Municipal Conservatory, specializing in classical percussion under Savvas Zannas. In 2001, she earned her percussion diploma with highest honours and continued her studies with Konstantinos Vorisis, receiving her advanced diploma in 2005, also with highest honours. Since 1999, she has been teaching drums and, since 2007, classical percussion at the Kalamata Municipal Conservatory. She has also been teaching at the Music School of Kalamata since 2001. From 2004 to 2022, she worked as an accompanist at the Municipal Dance School. Since 2020, she has collaborated with the ensemble Moving Band, creating music for silent films. She has attended lessons and masterclasses with renowned musicians such as E. Sejourne, N. Rosauro, J.B. Leclere, S. Fougeroux, D. Desylas, Nikos Kapilidis, and Silvio Syros. She has performed with the ERT Orchestra, the Greek National Opera, and the Modling Symphonie Orchestra.

Born in Athens, Maria Papapetropoulou studied piano with Popi and Natalia Michailidou at the “Athenaeum” Conservatory and the Skalkottas Conservatory, respectively. She received her diploma from the Skalkottas Conservatory with honours, earning the 1st prize. She continued her studies with Francoise Tina at the École Normale de Musique de Paris “Alfred Cortot” and at the Conservatoire National d’Orléans, where she graduated, receiving the 1st prize. With a scholarship from the Onassis Foundation, she continued her studies at the Karlsruhe University with Ulrich Rademacher, specialising in Lied Accompaniment, and obtained a postgraduate diploma with honours. She has performed on stage in Greece and abroad. She has closely collaborated as a soloist with the Athens State Orchestra, the Orchestra of Colours, and the Ryazan Philharmonic in Russia. She has also performed and recorded for the Greek Radio and Television. She teaches piano, accompaniment and chamber music at the Kalamata Municipal Conservatory.

German violinist Felix Froschhammer captivates audiences with his wide-ranging performance skills. He is the First Violinist of the casalQuartett and the Concert Master of both the Ensemble Symphonique Neuchâtel and Sinfonietta de Lausanne (Switzerland). Felix is also active as a soloist and plays a vital role in the Ensemble Chaarts and TRI i DVE, an ensemble specialising in Balkan music. Previous engagements include appearances at festivals such as the Beethoven Festival Warsaw, Bruckner Festival Linz, Salzburger Festspiele, Rheingau Musikfestival and Lucerne Festival. His chamber music partners include Gautier Capuçon, Lawrence Power and Fazil Say. Since 2018, he has been the Artistic Director of the Festival du Jura in Switzerland. felixfroschhammer.com 

Antonios Maziotis began his violin lessons at the age of seven and continued his studies at the Department of Music Science and Art at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki. In 2011, he won the third prize with his string quartet in a chamber music competition organised by the same department. In the same year, he studied as an Erasmus student at the University of Music in Mainz, Germany. In 2014, he continued his studies at the Anton Bruckner University of Music in Linz, Austria, specialising in both violin pedagogy and instrumental teaching in groups. He appears regularly in solo recitals and chamber music concerts in Greece and abroad. Since 2021, he has been a violin tutor at the Music High School and the Municipal Conservatory, both in Kalamata.

Sophia Anagnostou was born in King’s Lynn, UK, but raised in Volos, Greece. She started her music studies at the age of five and in 2003 she obtained a harmony degree with distinction. She was a founder member of the Volos Youth Symphony Orchestra and took part in many orchestras and music ensembles thereafter in London, Cologne, Antwerp, Versailles, Rome, Venice amongst others, whilst playing violin or viola. She commenced her university studies in Thessaloniki, Greece in 2004 and transferred to Birmingham Conservatoire two years later studying with Erik Houston. Under the guidance of Kate Fawcett and Margaret Faultless at Birmingham Conservatoire she completed a Postgraduate Certificate in baroque violin. She continued her Master of Performance at the Royal College of Music, studying with Adrian Butterfield and Lucy Russell, then finished her studies with Mayumi Hirasaki at Mozarteum in Salzburg. She is currently teaching at the Kalamata Music High School and Municipal Conservatoire.

Indira Rahmatulla was born in Uzbekistan in a family of musicians. Her main cello teachers include her parents, Vagram Saradjian, Ronald Leonard, Jean-Guihen Queyras and Christophe Coin. Her chamber music mentors include outstanding musicians such as Arnold Steinhardt, Ralf Gothoni, Eldar Nebolsin, Tabea Zimmerman and Ferenc Rados. As a soloist, Indira has appeared in various countries such as Armenia, Chile, the USA, Turkey and Switzerland. Currently, she spends most of her time in Lausanne, playing in the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, of which she has been a member since 2015. In addition, she frequently plays as solo cello in Kammerorchester Basel, Balthasar-Neumann Ensemble and performs regularly with Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Indira is a founding member and the Artistic Director of the International Kalamata Music Days.

Born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Tashko Tasheff began studying the accordion at the age of 6. In 2000, he completed his master’s degree with Michel Veillon at the Lausanne Conservatory as a double bass player. In 2003, he joined the Camerata de Lausanne. He is also a solo bassist in Ensemble Symphonique Neuchâtel and is playing in various lighter modern music and theatre ensembles as well.