George Aperghis
Composer
Georges Aperghis was born in Athens in 1945. He lives and writes in Paris since 1963. His work is characterized by a questioning about languages and the meaning. His compositions, instrumental wether, vocal or for stage, explores the borders of the intelligible, he likes to create a new twist to the listener (stories emerge but are suddenly refuted).
Aperghis’ music is not strictly linked to any dominant musical aesthetics of the contemporary musical creation.
This otherness is combined with innovation when it includes electronics, video, machines, or robots to his performances. Aperghis works with group of interpreters who are entirely part of the creative process. They are comedians (Edith Scob, Michael Lonsdale, Valerie Dreville, Jos Houben), instrumentalists (Jean-Pierre Drouet, Richard Dubelski, Genevieve Strosser, Nicolas Hodges, Uli Fussenegger) or vocalists (Martine Viard, Donatienne Michel Dansac, Lionel Peintre) . From the 90’s he shared new artistic collaborations with dance (Johanne Saunier, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker) and visual arts (Daniel Lévy, Kurt D’Haeseleer, Hans Op de Beeck). The main european contemporary music ensembles have developed a working relationship with Icper, Klangforum Wien,
Recently Georges Aperghis received the Mauricio Kagel Prize in 2011 and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement – Venice Biennale Musica 2015. The BBVA Foundation Award “Frontiers of Knowledge” goes to Georges Aperghis in 2016 (category contemporary music).
His self-published music is free on the website aperghis.com. His other pieces are published by Universal Music Publishing Classical Editions (www.durand-salabert-eschig.com).