Odysseas Dimitriadis
Encyclopedia
Odysseas Dimitriadis was a Greek
and at the same time Soviet classical music conductor. During his 70 year career, Odysseas had conducted a number of the world's leading orchestras, as well as being a main conductor of Georgia
, USSR state orchestra and the Bolshoy Theatre orchestra. In 1980 he conducted during the opening and closing ceremony of the 1980 Summer Olympics
, held in Moscow. He has been honored a number of very important awards and titles, including Ambassador of Hellenism, National Artist of the Soviet Union and Golden Medal of Athens
.
, in the family of a businessman. His father - Achilles (came to Batumi from Trapezund in 1886), mother - Kalliopi Ethremidi.
He was not even five years old, when a passion to music became visible. He tried to play favorite melodies on piano, without any knowledge of music notation. Systematic studies of music began in 1918, when young Odysseas became a student of great violinist Tizengausen. Unfortunately, Tizengausen had to emigrate. The new teacher was also great vilolinist and composer - Legher.
The main problem of his youth was the fact that his father was a "lishents" - or a man who had a private property (completely forbidden during the early Soviet years). That was the reason why his father advised Odysseas to move to Sukhumi
, where his elder brother Nikolaos lived and was on the state duty, right after graduating from the gymnasium in 1925.
After a year spent in Sukhumi, Odysseas arrived to Tbilisi
, where he entered conservatorie.
1926-1930 - studied in Tbilisi conservatorie. Musical theory and composition class.
1930-1933 - became a head teacher in Sukhumi musical college.
1933-1936 - studied in Leningrad conservatorie. Conducting class of A.V. Gauk and I.A. Musin.
Dimitris Mitropoulos - "one of the greates conductors of the world", as Shostakovich had expressed, came to Leningrad to conduct 10 concerts. Odisseas got the most important influence and inspiration.
1937-1965 - leading conductor of the Zakharia Paliashvili Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre. Professor of Tbilisi Conservatorie.
1958 - Honored a title of the National Artist of The Soviet Union.
1959 - visited Greece as the head of the organization of USSR - Greece cultural relations. Met his brothers and sisters, who had emigrated to Greece 30 years earlier.
1965-1973 - leading conductor of the Moscow Bolshoy Theatre. Became worldwide famous, as the State Orchestra of the USSR, under his leadership, does an international tour. At the same time he was a professor of the Moscow Consrvatorie.
1973 - returned to Georgia. Till the retirement in 1991 he was the main conductor of Georgia, as well as professor of the Tbilisi Conservatorie.
1980 - Was honored to conduct during the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1980 Summer Olympics
, held in Moscow.
, Spyridon Samaras
, Antiochos Evangelatos
and Mikis Theodorakis
on international scene.
On April 9, 1989, the meyor of Athens
Evert Maltiadis, honored Odysseas with a Golden Medal of Athens.
In 1998 he was awarded the "Ambassador of Hellenism" honorary distinction.http://www.hri.org/news/greek/eraen/2005/05-05-03_1.eraen.html
State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR
State Symphony Orchestra of Greece
Symphony orchestra of the Bolshoy Theatre
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
Tbilisi Opera Orchestra
Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
Athens State Symphony Orchestra
Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra
Berlin Symphony Orchestra
Prague Symphony Orchestra
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Bucharest Symphony Orchestra
Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra
).
On April 28, 2005, 97 years old Dimitriadis died in his home in Tbilisi. He was buried with honor near the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Tbilisi, on the main avenue of the city. Prime Minister and Culture Minister Costas Karamanlis said in a statement that Odysseas Dimitriadis "had the unique privilege in his long life to speak with the inter-cultural language of music to the hearts of the peoples of the then Soviet Union, of Greece and Georgia."
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and at the same time Soviet classical music conductor. During his 70 year career, Odysseas had conducted a number of the world's leading orchestras, as well as being a main conductor of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, USSR state orchestra and the Bolshoy Theatre orchestra. In 1980 he conducted during the opening and closing ceremony of the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
, held in Moscow. He has been honored a number of very important awards and titles, including Ambassador of Hellenism, National Artist of the Soviet Union and Golden Medal of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
Biography
Odysseas Dimitriadis was born in BatumiBatumi
Batumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
, in the family of a businessman. His father - Achilles (came to Batumi from Trapezund in 1886), mother - Kalliopi Ethremidi.
He was not even five years old, when a passion to music became visible. He tried to play favorite melodies on piano, without any knowledge of music notation. Systematic studies of music began in 1918, when young Odysseas became a student of great violinist Tizengausen. Unfortunately, Tizengausen had to emigrate. The new teacher was also great vilolinist and composer - Legher.
The main problem of his youth was the fact that his father was a "lishents" - or a man who had a private property (completely forbidden during the early Soviet years). That was the reason why his father advised Odysseas to move to Sukhumi
Sukhumi
Sukhumi is the capital of Abkhazia, a disputed region on the Black Sea coast. The city suffered heavily during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in the early 1990s.-Naming:...
, where his elder brother Nikolaos lived and was on the state duty, right after graduating from the gymnasium in 1925.
After a year spent in Sukhumi, Odysseas arrived to Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, where he entered conservatorie.
Chronology
1926-1930 - studied in Tbilisi conservatorie. Musical theory and composition class.
1930-1933 - became a head teacher in Sukhumi musical college.
1933-1936 - studied in Leningrad conservatorie. Conducting class of A.V. Gauk and I.A. Musin.
Dimitris Mitropoulos - "one of the greates conductors of the world", as Shostakovich had expressed, came to Leningrad to conduct 10 concerts. Odisseas got the most important influence and inspiration.
1937-1965 - leading conductor of the Zakharia Paliashvili Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre. Professor of Tbilisi Conservatorie.
1958 - Honored a title of the National Artist of The Soviet Union.
1959 - visited Greece as the head of the organization of USSR - Greece cultural relations. Met his brothers and sisters, who had emigrated to Greece 30 years earlier.
1965-1973 - leading conductor of the Moscow Bolshoy Theatre. Became worldwide famous, as the State Orchestra of the USSR, under his leadership, does an international tour. At the same time he was a professor of the Moscow Consrvatorie.
1973 - returned to Georgia. Till the retirement in 1991 he was the main conductor of Georgia, as well as professor of the Tbilisi Conservatorie.
1980 - Was honored to conduct during the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1980 Summer Olympics
1980 Summer Olympics
The 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
, held in Moscow.
International Activity
After 1974 revolution in Greece, Odysseas Dimitriadis annually visited his historical motherland. In Greece, he conducted different orchestras, established international relations. Took a very important part in the propaganda of Greek composers, such as Manolis KalomirisManolis Kalomiris
Manolis Kalomiris ), was a Greek classical composer. He was the founder of the Greek National School of Music.-Biography:Born in Smyrna, he attended school in Constantinople and studied piano and composition in Vienna. After working for a few years as a piano teacher in Kharkov he settled in...
, Spyridon Samaras
Spyridon Samaras
Spyridon-Filiskos Samaras was a Greek composer particularly admired for his operas who was part of the generation of composers that heralded the works of Giacomo Puccini...
, Antiochos Evangelatos
Antiochos Evangelatos
Antiochos Evangelatos was a Greek composer and conductor. He was born in Lixouri, Cefalonia on 25 December 1903. He studied composition and conducting in Leipzig, Basel and Vienna with Ludwig, Kofler and Felix Weingartner. From 1933 on he taught composition and counterpoint at the Hellenic...
and Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis is one of the most renowned Greek songwriters and composers. Internationally, he is probably best known for his songs and for his scores for the films Zorba the Greek , Z , and Serpico .Politically, he identified with the left until the late 1980s; in 1989, he ran as an...
on international scene.
On April 9, 1989, the meyor of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
Evert Maltiadis, honored Odysseas with a Golden Medal of Athens.
In 1998 he was awarded the "Ambassador of Hellenism" honorary distinction.http://www.hri.org/news/greek/eraen/2005/05-05-03_1.eraen.html
List of the Orchestras conducted by Odysseas Dimitriadis
During his 7 decade career, Odysseas conducted over one hundred orchestras from different continents. Among them included:State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR
State Symphony Orchestra of Greece
Symphony orchestra of the Bolshoy Theatre
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
-History:In 1900, Ferdinand Löwe founded the orchestra as the Wiener Concertverein . In 1913 it moved into the Konzerthaus, Vienna. In 1919 it merged with the Tonkünstler Orchestra. In 1933 it acquired its current name...
Tbilisi Opera Orchestra
Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra
Athens State Symphony Orchestra
Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra
Berlin Symphony Orchestra
Berlin Symphony Orchestra
The Konzerthausorchester Berlin is a symphony orchestra based in Berlin, Germany. The orchestra is resident at the Konzerthaus Berlin, designed by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel...
Prague Symphony Orchestra
Prague Symphony Orchestra
The Prague Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1934 by Rudolf Pekárek. In the 1930s the orchestra performed the scores for many Czech films, and also appeared regularly on Czech radio. An early promoter of the orchestra was Dr...
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra
The Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra is the most prestigious symphony orchestra in Hungary. Based in the capital Budapest, it has stood as one of the pillars of the country's musical life since its founding in 1923 as the Metropolitan Orchestra...
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
The Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra was formed in 1882 and is Russia's oldest symphony orchestra.It was initially known as the "Imperial Music Choir" and performed privately for the court of Alexander III of Russia. By the 1900s it had started to give public performances at the...
Bucharest Symphony Orchestra
Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra
Last Years
Maestro Dimitriadis spent his last years both in Athens and in Tbilisi. He did rare performances, and public appearances (mostly in Tbilisi, with Jansug KakhidzeJansug Kakhidze
Jansug Kakhidze was a Georgian conductor, nicknamed "the Georgian Karajan". Kakhidze was music director of the Georgian State Symphony Orchestra for two decades beginning in 1973.-Musical career:...
).
On April 28, 2005, 97 years old Dimitriadis died in his home in Tbilisi. He was buried with honor near the Opera and Ballet Theatre in Tbilisi, on the main avenue of the city. Prime Minister and Culture Minister Costas Karamanlis said in a statement that Odysseas Dimitriadis "had the unique privilege in his long life to speak with the inter-cultural language of music to the hearts of the peoples of the then Soviet Union, of Greece and Georgia."