Musick for a While

Georgia Balabini (soprano) and Mislav Režić (electric guitar, sound effects) present vocal works by John Dowland (1563 – 1626) and Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695), building bridges between Dowland’s pioneering lute-songs, Purcell’s songs, the Renaissance English vocal tradition, baroque, electronic sound and the practice of improvisation.

Program

John Dowland (1563-1626)

1. Preludium (Guitar solo)

2. If my complaints could passions move

3. Come away, come sweet love

4. Can she excuse my wrongs

5. Mr. Dowland’s Midnight (Guitar solo)

6. Come again, sweet love doth now invite

7. Flow my tears

8. My Lady Hunsdon’s Allemande (Guitar solo)

9. Shall i sue

10. What if i never speed?

11. Go from my window (Guitar solo)

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

1. Musick for a while

2. Strike the viol

3. They tell us that you mighty powers above

4. Why should men quarrel

5. There’s not a swain

6. Cold song

7. Thy hand Belinda! When I am laid in earth

Georgia Balabini is a lyric soprano (Athenaeum, Attiko Conservatory Athens, Universität Mozarteum Salzburg) specializing Oratorio-Lied, Early music & Baroque. HHer passion with improvisation often leads her to various paths such as jazz and avant-garde. She has participated as an active member in numerous Master-class interpretations of Opera, oratorio-Lied as well as technical and Jazz improvisations and oriental scales, technique and interpretation in Istanbul, where she thoroughly studied and poured over Rebetika and Amane. She has been a member of the choir of the National Opera and ERT, as well as a member of the musical ensemble “Imi-olon” of the Athens Concert Hall. She has taken part in international festivals, inter-artistic projects and concerts of church music. In recent years she has collaborated with George Doussis, Sofia Koumplis, George Peristeris. She has recordings of classical and jazz music (Irida Classical 028 & Irida Jazz 001). In 2021 she released her first solo album, “Laudi Duecentesche” (Marco Sofianopulo). She teaches contemporary singing and monody at the Attic Conservatory of Athens.

With an international career as both a soloist and chamber music performer, Mislav Režić is one of the most distinguished Croatian guitarists. He has given solo concerts in Europe and North America. He is a founding member of Ensemble Machetes (Netherlands) and the ensemble Tetttix (Greece). Having a special interest in contemporary music and new compositional contexts, he commissions and often gives first performances of the new works for guitar, enriching in that way the repertoire of the instrument. He has won many Croatian national and two international music prizes (International Guitar Competitions in Zwolle 2002 and Enschede 2007) and in 2003 Croatian Society of Music Artists awarded him the annual music prize. Mislav Režić is the artistic director of the chamber music festival Musical Evening at St. Jerome’s and conducts the International summer guitar course, both in Kaštela, Croatia. His solo CD “Auburn” with contemporary music for guitar was released in January 2017 by Greek independent label DNA.