Concert Pianist Danae Kara CONTACT EMAIL & WEBSITE Discography & Press Quotes

Biography

Outstanding Greek virtuoso acclaimed as “the most celebrated champion of prominent Greek modernist composers such as Skalkottas and Mitropoulos” (American Record Guide).
For her enduring commitment and determination to premiering important music, such as the monumental Third Piano Concerto by Nikos Skalkottas in 2003, in Paris, she received The Hellenic Music Award by The National Council of Music/Unesco.

Born in 1953 in Istanbul, she has given performances worldwide since her debut at the age of sixteen. She has appeared as soloist with eminent orchestras, including the BBC Philharmonic, the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Salzburg- Mozarteum Orchestra, the London Festival Orchestra, , the Lithuanian State Orchestra, Orchestre National de Montpellier, The Moscow Virtuosi, the Sofia Philharmonic, and has toured performing in major venues of European cities, Latin America, throughout Russia and the former Soviet Republics. She has collaborated with conductors of great distinction such as Giancarlo Andretta, Matthias Bamert, Hans Graf, John Georgiadis, Philippe Entremont, Miltiadis Karydis, Jakob Kowalski, Alexander Lazarev, Christian Mandeal, Alexander Myrat, Vladimir Spivakov, and Friedemann Layer. She has been presented on radio and television live concert broadcasts by the Hellenic Radio and Television - ERT, Radio Educacion, Radio UNAM Mexico, Radio France, France Musique, WGBH Boston, and BBC Three.

Her discography with Naxos, Universal/Decca, Agorá Musica, Philips, Polygram, Millenium Archives, EMI Classics, Lyra, has won critical acclaim in the international press for her recordings of Mendelssohn’s Three Piano Concerti, Sicilianos’ Piano Concerto, Skalkottas’s Piano Concerti, Cimarosa’s 62 Sonatas, Brahms Opus 116, 117 118 &119, Dimitri Mitropoulos’ Piano Works, Manos Hadjidakis’ Piano works and other of her albums. She was the recipient of the Recording Award 2000, by The Union of Greek Theater & Music Critics.

She graduated with the highest honor Golden Medal from the Athens Conservatory and as a scholarship student she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Music at The Juilliard School of Music in New York, where her principal teacher and mentor was the legendary Jacob Lateiner. In addition to receiving the Isabella Vengerova legacy from Lateiner, she received tutoring from Ivan Moravec and Nina Svetlanova, student of Heinrich Neuhaus.
Hailed as an extraordinary musician of penetrating insight, her playing is characterized by an arresting rhythmic buoyancy, clarity, exuberance, as well as communicative power.

Discography
 

l NIKOS SKALKOTTAS: Concertino for Piano. & 3d Concerto for Piano.
l JOHANNES BRAHMS: Piano Works. op. 116, 117, 118 & 119.
l THANOS MIKROUTSIKOS: “Dance and memories”, Piano Works.
l FELIX MENDELSSOHN: The Three (3) Piano Concerti
l YORGOS SISILIANOS: Concerto for piano and Orchestra (1992)
l DOMENICO CIMAROSA: The 62 Piano Sonatas, COMPLETE EDITION
l DIMITRIS MITROPOULOS: Piano Works & (PREMIÈRE) & N. SKALKOTTAS 3 Pieces
l MANOS HADJIDAKIS: The Piano Works
l COMPOSIZIONI da CAMERA: Christophoros STAMBOGLIS, bass, Danae KARA, piano
l "PIANO GEMS" Danae Kara, piano
l  MANOLIS KALOMIRIS: "EVENING LEGENDS" For voice and piano, Markela HATZIANO, mezzo, Danae KARA, piano
l DANAE KARA plays: MANUEL De FALLA & MIKIS THEODORAKIS
l DANAE KARA plays Greek Composers
l KYRIAKOS SFETSAS: "SUNSTREAM" 12 pieces for piano.

	PREMIÈRE         JUST RELEASED NIKOS SKALKOTTAS:  Concertino for Piano & 3d Concerto for Piano Orchestre National de Montpellier, Friedemann Layer conducting. 2004 "DECCA' 00289 4762561 CD 70:52' International Record Review (Nov 2004).“…Kara’s rhythmic buoyancy …vividly projects the contrasts… immediately arresting in the bravura gestures …clarity and exuberance characterize the performance… … The Gramophone (March 2005).“ …in Skalkottas’s most ambitious work…Kara’s forward impetus gives it greater overall cogency and her more flowing tempo for the Andante sostenuto makes it formally and expressively all of a piece..” The Absolute Sound (Aug/Sept 2005).“…Pianist Danae Kara has also championed Skalkottas and was one of the first to record his music on CD…Danae Kara brings zest and vitality to the Concertino, while finding an ideal balance of intensity and forward drive in the difficult and dense Third concerto…” The American Record Guide (July/Aug 2005). “…Greek pianist Danae Kara is a superb advocate in these first-recorded performances. She brings confidence and engaging vitality to the Concertino, while maintaining both intensity and forward drive in the difficult and strenuous Third Concerto…”
	JOHANNES BRAHMS:  Piano Works. op. 116, 117, 118  & 119 2000 AGORA'  (Italy) AG 221.1 CD MUSICA (Nov. 2000): “... This recording (Brahms Last Piano Works) is destined to remain as a reference point at least till the day when Pollini decides to propose his own interpretation ...” Francesco Lo Cascio
	FELIX  MENDELSSOHN:  The Three (3) Piano Concerti La Camerata, Alexandros Myrat, conducting. 1998 AGORA'  (Italy) AG 127.1 CD KLASSIK heute  (Sept. 1998): “... Umso erstaurlicher mutet es an, wenn ... hier protegiert, die diese beiden Mendelssohn-Kostbarkeiten mit sicherem Griff, mit sicherem Gespür für Tempo, Tonfall und Atmosphäre, anzufassen verstehen. Hier spielt eine junge Pianistin sachkundig Klavier, verleiht den scnellen Ecksätzen beherrschte Fahrt und den triumphalen wie seitidigen Themen genügend Kolorit, um mit einem agilen ...Orchester knapp 80 Minuten lang für gehobene Kurzweil zu sorgen...”. Peter Cossé.
	PREMIÈRE YORGOS  SISILIANOS:  Concerto for piano and Orchestra (1992) La Camerata, Alexandros Myrat, Conducting. 1998  AGORA'  (Italy) AG 126.1 CD   Gramophone (June 1998): “...Yorgos Sicilianos's Piano Concerto has an engaging astringency. Worth acquiring … R.Whitehouse KLASSIK heute (Nov. 1998): “... Auch hier (Sicilianos's Piano Concerto): hinreißende Darbietungen des Orchesters und der wendigen Pianistin, klanglich solide dokumentiert. Christoph.Schlüren. CLASSICA CD (Dic. 1998): “...e la pianista Kara, prima interprete del Concerto di Sicilianos. mostra di saperne dominarne con disinvoltura le asperità tecniche. Giuseppe Rossi
	COMPLETE EDITION DOMENICO  CIMAROSA:  The 62 Piano Sonatas 1997 AGORA'  (Italy) AG 118.2 Double CD diapason (Mai 1998): 5 diapason SUPERB “... Danae Kara nous en apporte la preuve. Avec elle - qui nous propose les soixante-deux sonates -chacun de ces petits “tableaux de genre” a droit à l'éclairage (subtilité des nuances, effets de legato ou de staccato, vivacité “perlée” ou cantabile souplement alangui, raffinements galants ou velléités carrément populaires) qui, à coup sûr, le mettra parfaitement en valeur... Des interprétations finalement convaincantes et remarquables...” Jean Dupart
	PREMIÈRE  DIMITRIS  MITROPOULOS:  Piano Works  &  NIKOS SKALKOTTAS: 3 Pieces. 1997 AGORA'  (Italy) AG 099.1 CD The Record GEIJUTZU (June 1997): “...Danae Kara has been brought to our attention by her previous CD recordings ... this time she displays an entirely new facet of her talent through this crystal clear rendition of Mitropoulos’s highly complex piano music...” Akira Takahisa American Record Guide (Jul/Aug 1997): "...Danae Kara-who plays with conviction and even a certain ferocity ... I hope she gives us more Skalkottas, and soon. Lehman CLASSICA CD (Sept. 1997): “...La pianista Danae Kara esegue ogni brano  amorevolmente ... e con la giusta scioltezza tecnica. Interpretazione: 0TTIMA.” Francesco Lo Cascio. Gramophone (Nov. 2001) ... D.Kara strikes me as preferable in the two "Reverias"... where she finds greater rhythmic clarity... R.Woodhouse The album 9.70193 titled Dimitri Mitropoulos, Piano Works is reissued by NAXOS in digital form. This album is available for streaming and downloading on all DSP that offer classical music as well as Naxos Music Library http:// www.naxosmusiclibrary.com and ClassicsOnline http://www.classicsonline.com
	NAXOS - Greek Classics 8.570957 title: Manos HADJIDAKIS , piano works American Record Guide (Jan/Feb 1997): “...Danae Kara, ... plays the hell out of this stuff, with plenty of rubato in the faster pieces and delicate understatement in the slower ones. For fanciers of unusual piano music, this disc is a must.”  Jack Sullivan MUSICA (Sept. 1996):”... Ascoltando queste musiche interpretate dalla brava pianista greca Danae Kara ...vien voglia di cantare e di battere le mani su Il' onda dei temi antichi e dei ritmi senza fine di Hadjidakis, che entrano nelle ossa e fin sotto la pelle, per non lasciarci pià. Bellissimo.”
	PREMIÈRE   THANOS MIKROUTSIKOS: “Dance and memories”, Piano Works 2001 EMI CLASSICS (UK) 5 5712622  CD diapason (Mai 1998): "... témoignage d'une interprète irréprochable (Danae Kara), ... " Gramophone (June 1998): "... these four works, capably executed by Danae Kara, make diverting listening as they skillfully navigate the dividing line between anodyne and ingratiating. Richard Whitehouse
	"Composizioni da Camera": DURANTE - STRADELLA - MARCELLO - BELLINI - DONIZETTI - VERDI - HADJIDAKIS Christophoros STAMBOGLIS, bass,  Danae KARA, piano   1996  LYRA (GR)  CD
	"PIANO GEMS"   FAURE - CHOPIN - LISZT - GRIEG - RACHMANINOV - DEBUSSY - SATIE - KONSTANTINIDIS - MOMPOU - SAINT-SANS - Chick COREA 1992  LYRA (GR) CD
	Manolis KALOMIRIS:  "EVENING LEGENDS"  For voice and piano. Markela HATZIANO, mezzo, Danae KARA, piano 1987 CONCERT ATHENS LP,  1989 LYRA (GR) CD
	DANAE KARA plays: MANUEL De FALLA  &  MIKIS THEODORAKIS 1983 PHILIPS- POLYGRAM LP, 2000 UNIVERSAL CD
	DANAE KARA plays Greek Composers: KALOMIRIS-SKALKOTTAS-HADJIDAKIS-KONSTANTINIDIS-THEODORAKIS  1983 PHILIPS-POLYGRAM  LP 2000 UNIVERSAL  CD
	PREMIÈRE Kyriakos SFETSAS: "SUN STREAM" 12 pieces for piano. 1982 EMI-COLUMBIA LP,  1995  FINEA SOUND CD

Press Quotes