Spiros Mazis

Spiros Mazis was born in Corfu, Greece. His creative and critical thinking has always been the starting point of his compositional activity. Most of his works are based upon extramusical ideas that derive from contemporary views of Physics and Mathematics, which are transferred with as much fidelity as possible, to the musical structure. His research is based on exploring the harmonic series and the relations among their partials with a way that he names Multi-harmonic Modes or Multi-spectral Modes. The first work in which he exploits the connection between music and mathematics, was Nine Variations on an Arithmetical, Sonic and Geometrical Drawing for large orchestra, in 1985.

He has invented a system of new fingerings for microtonal intervals for brass which can perform just intonation scales with real fingerings. Fifteen of his works have been distinguished in composition contests around the world. His works for orchestra have been performed by the Athens State Orchestra; Greek Orchestra of Colours; Bulgarian String Orchestra Beograska; Italian Symphony Orchestra of Meran; American String Orchestra of Charleston; Louisiana Symphonietta; German Symphony Orchestra of Marburg; Helvetian Orchestra Santa Maria; German woodwinds orchestra from Langenargen; German Symphony Orchestra of Neckarsulm; Bavarian Classic Orchestra and the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra.

He holds a Degree in Composition with Distinction and First Prize from Athens with Yannis Ioannidis, and PhD in Music Composition with Thomas Simaku at York University, England. He attended composition seminars with Theodore Antoniou and Iannis Xenakis in Greece and Tristan Murail and Marco Stroppa in Hungary. He attended Computer and Electronic Music seminars, with Kostas Moschos, David Waxman and Andrea Szigetvari.

He is Professor in Composition and Director of the Classical and Contemporary Music Conservatory in Athens, and a board member of the Greek Composers Union.

Mazis King’s Stone

The work is inspired by an improvised tale I told my daughters and my nephew in their childhood. In the story, the King has a magical stone that gives power and wisdom throughout the kingdom, but the Mormorini, an evil wizard (the piano plays his role) is trying to steal the stone. To produce micro-intervals for brass instruments, I use new fingerings that I have invented mathematically. It is written in one of the multi-harmonic, multi-spectral modes that I have devised and use.