analysis

The thesis at hand studies the work of the composer Dinos Constantinides, focusing on his piano work production. One of the matters it seeks to treat is the frequency of use and the importance that the composer gives to elements loaned by the Greek musical tradition, and their utilization via the forms of the symphonic music of the western world. At the same time, it explores whether this case study, i.e., his solo piano works and his piano writing in general, depict—and to which degree—his personal “language” and his line of thinking as a composer. The in-depth approaches that followed focused on showcasing the underpinning logic and thus, the way sound expansion of pure piano writing is achieved, whilst at the same time, the selection criteria for this process were investigated. In other words, by examining Constantinides’ solo piano works, this thesis seeks to detect the—perhaps hidden—morphoplastic “forces” which govern the harmonic parameter, the orchestration and the development of the architecture of the large-scale form. Lastly, by examining the compositions of Dinos Constantinides in direct relation to other aspects of his creativity, an attempt is made to provide an answer as regards the symbolism and the programmatic character of his music, as this is reflected in the titles of his works. A deeper objective of this thesis is to understand the balance between the form and the content of the composer’s music, a matter approached both via the theoretical-analytical study and the performance-interpretation of his piano repertoire by the writer (pl. see Appendix 2. “Performances given”).