Ioannis
Fulias, “The birth and the
evolution of a composer: Dimitri Mitropoulos in 1910s”,
Polyphonia 20, Athens
2012, p. 117-130.
Dimitri Mitropoulos (1896-1960) was one of the
leading conductors in both America and Europe in 1940s and 1950s. Less known is
his earlier compositional career during 1910s and the years 1924-1928 (and sporadically until 1937), which resulted in the production of 36 original
works in total. Nevertheless, some of them, deriving from the second creative
period of Mitropoulos (in 1920s), are already highly appreciated as the first
Greek compositions in modern (atonal, dodecaphonic, etc.) music. On the other
hand, few of his earlier works have been studied until now, despite their
artistic value and their significance for the comprehension of the evolution of
Mitropoulos himself as a composer. Thus, the present paper makes a systematic
overview of these 25 works that Mitropoulos wrote up to 1920, elucidating their
various – not only foreign, but also local – stylistic influences and
commenting on some aspects of music genres and forms.
© Ioannis
Fulias