Papadimitriou-Taxim IV Op. 17

In Persian, Taxim is the ramp where musicians would play (taquasim). In Turkish, it means crossroad (taksim). Traditional Greek musicians, in place of the word key or mode, use the word road. The same word in Latin is used as the title of the present work. Traditional musicians use this word to mean improvisation; hence, the derivation of this expression: the crossing of the roads. This type of improvisation occurs with a solo instrument either before the main body of a song or a dance, as an introductory prelude, or between it. The composer characterizes the piece as learned ethnic. As in all of his previous works, this one is tonal, using ancient modes or their variation that leads to the use of peculiar key signatures. The ?non-familiar? performer needs to be very attentive to these key signatures, as well as the accidentals, because their use is not random. The words in the parentheses are the names that folk instrumentalists give each mode.

-Dimitris Papadimitriou
Number of Players: 1
Difficulty: Grade 5
Instrumentation:

Player I: Solo Marimba

Dimitris Papadimitriou was born in Athens in 1952.  He began playing rock music as a self-taught drummer in the mid-1960s and has been a professional musician since 1968.  He studied music theory with Alexander Aenian.  Papadimitriou received his Diploma degree from the Athens Conservatory, graduating with excellence and distinction.  In 1978, while still a student at the conservatory, he became a permanent member of the Athens State Symphony, and later the Orchestra of the National Greek Opera House, where he has been the principal timpanist since 1986.  Also in 1986, Papadimitriou became a professor of the municipal conservatory of Lamia.