Swedish label BIS releases landmark album of works by Nikos Skalkottas

Swedish record label BIS launched what has been hailed as the most systematic and serious effort to showcase the oeuvre of Greek composer Nikos Skalkottas (1904-49) on the 50th anniversary of his death.

The initiative began with a series of recordings with orchestras in Sweden and Iceland, and also with the UK's BBC Philharmonic. These met with critical acclaim in the international press, encouraging the Swedish label to pursue the project. Over the course of the next decade, it released albums at regular intervals, working with a Greek ensemble for the first time in 2008, recording with the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra. Then, in 2019, on the 70th anniversary of Skalkottas' death, BIS turned to the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra and conductor Byron Fidetzis. The recently released album comprises previously unrecorded works as well as an especially moving piece.

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