Dimitris Sgouros (Greek: Δημήτρης Σγούρος; born 30 August 1969)[a] is a Greek classical pianist.[1] Widely acclaimed for his prodigious musical talent as a boy, Sgouros is one of the world's leading concert pianists.[2][3]Arthur Rubinstein remarked that he had produced "the best playing I have ever heard;".[4]
Dimitris Sgouros
Born
(1969-08-30) 30 August 1969 (age 54) Athens, Greece
Genres
Classical music
Occupation(s)
Musician
Instrument(s)
Piano
Years active
1977–present
Website
www.sgouros-pianist.com
Biographyedit
Dimitris Sgouros is an Aromanian,[5] having declared that "I am Vlach with a capital V", Vlach being the common name for the Aromanians in Greece.[6] Sgouros is the son of Sotirios and Marianthi Sgouros.[7] There was no notable record of musical talent in his family.[4] He began playing the piano when he was six-years old[8] and gave his first public performance a year later.[4] At the age of eight, he entered the Athens Conservatoire, studying under Maria Herogiorgiou-Sigara.[1][4] Sgouros won several competitions between 1978 and 1983, including the UNICEF competition in Bulgaria (1979), a competition in Ancona, Italy (1980), and two competitions in his home city of Athens.[4] He was also the recipient of the 1982 Leonardo da Vinci International Award.[7][9]
Performances around the world have included concerts in Australia,[12][13] Austria, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, France, Germany, Hong Kong,[14] Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand,[15] Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey.[16] Sgouros has performed for the royal families of Britain, Monaco,[17][18] and Sweden, and played under the baton of renowned conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, Emil Tabakov, Kurt Masur, and Yevgeny Svetlanov.[19] He has recorded for various record labels, including Dino Music[20][21] and EMI.[22] Since March 1988, three Sgouros Festivals have been instituted, in Hamburg, Ljubljana, and Singapore.[23][24][25]
Sgouros has featured prominently in the media, having appeared on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson[26] and a television concert with Chopin's 1st Piano Concerto.[27][28] He has also been profiled by Oscar-winning director François Reichenbach in a feature-length documentary film.[29][30]
^Tommasini, Anthony (18 April 2000). "MUSIC REVIEW; A Onetime Piano Prodigy Returns at 31 to Carnegie Hall (Published 2000)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
^McLellan, Joseph. "Dimitris Sgouros' Promising Piano". The Washington Post.
^ abcdefCrankshaw, G. (1983): Angel Debut Recording: Dimitris Sgouros – Brahms/Schumann (notes from record jacket). Retrieved 21 May 2010.
^Exarchos, Giorgis (2001). Οι Ελληνοβλάχοι (Αρμανοί) (in Greek). Vol. 1. Ekdoseis Kastaniote. p. 491. ISBN 9789600327847.
^Efstathiadis, Stathis (24 November 2008). ""Είμαστε όλοι Βλάχοι"". To Vima (in Greek).
^"Dimitris Sgouros: Portrait of a Genius". sgourosmp3.com. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
^Rotary Club Firenze: History of the Leonardo da Vinci Award Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (2009). Retrieved 28 December 2010.
^Rockwell, John (17 April 1982). "CONCERT: PIANIST, 12 (Published 1982)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
^Dimitris Sgouros: A photographic portrait (c. 2009). Retrieved 22 May 2010.
^Newspaper articles on Dimitris Sgouros from Fairfax archive (mainly Sydney).
^Dimitris Sgouros Australian tours – Concert programmes & nationwide reviews
^Legacy Tobacco Documents Library, University of California, San Francisco – Philip Morris Collection – Dimitris Sgouros in Hong Kong (1989 Cartier Master Series)
^Dimitris Sgouros newspaper citations, Auckland Council Libraries
^Sgouros concert in Ankara – article from NTV MS-NBC (in Turkish)
^Hebdo Magazine feature on Sgouros (November 1984) (in French)
^Prince's Palace of Monaco – Summer Concerts Archived 12 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
^"ABC Classic FM broadcast schedule – Sgouros & USSR Sym Orch/Svetlanov perform Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
^"ABC Classic FM broadcast schedule – Dino Music album with Sgouros". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
^Dimitris Sgouros album on Dino Music – track listing
^2011 EMI Classics release with Dimitris Sgouros – 'Essential Liszt'
^Concert poster – Sgouros with the USSR Festival Orchestra in Singapore, 1990[permanent dead link]
^Concert advertisement – The Straits Times, 21 October 1990
^Sgouros at Victoria Concert Hall. Concert notice, The Straits Times, 22 October 1991
^TV guides from Ocala Star-Banner & Chicago Tribune (1982).
^The Miami News TV guide[permanent dead link] (1986).
^– TV Special – Listings. The New York Times Retrieved 3 January 2011.
^Google Books citation – Musik in den Medien Retrieved on 3 January 2011.
^– Music News Los Angeles Times (1984). Retrieved 3 January 2011.
Bibliographyedit
Tarallo, Alfredo (1993). "Sgouros, Poet of the Piano." Il Mattino. 26 July.