THE RESONANCE ATLAS
Aris Carastathis
Biography
Aris Carastathis (born 1957 in Athens) is a Greek-born Canadian composer and professor of music at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario. After studying at the Attica Conservatory in Athens, he completed music degrees at the University of Northern Iowa and a doctorate at Louisiana State University in 1988, studying composition with Dinos Constantinides.
Carastathis has written more than one hundred works and received commissions from organisations including the Canadian Music Centre and Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. His music has been performed across Europe and North America, with scores distributed through the Canadian Music Centre and published by firms including Universal Edition. He has also been active in the Canadian contemporary music community through New Music North and as a member of the Canadian Music Centre and Greek Composers Union.
Why this music interests us
Carastathis's chamber catalogue offers a fascinating cluster of compact, bassoon-inclusive works. Diffusion (1980), for flute, clarinet, bassoon, piano and percussion, and his Woodwind Quintet (1981) both last approximately six minutes. Crosswind (1994), for clarinet and bassoon, and Night Musing (2009), for solo bassoon, provide still more intimate possibilities. These pieces are especially intriguing as potentially overlooked repertoire: short, practical works whose scores and performance histories merit renewed investigation.
Selected works & listening
Diffusion (1980; flute, clarinet, bassoon, piano, percussion); Woodwind Quintet (1981; flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon); Crosswind (1994; clarinet and bassoon); Night Musing (2009; solo bassoon)