Dionysis Boukouvalas (born 7 May 1979 in Athens) is a Greek composer, pianist and musicologist.[1]
As a pianist he is particularly interested in improvisation, his main influences being Keith Jarrett and Wim Mertens.
He is also interested in contemporary music, having given Greek premieres of works by John Cage,[2] Morton Feldman, Cornelius Cardew and Howard Skempton, and world premieres of works by contemporary Greek composers (like the Gaudeamus Prize winner of 2006 Lefteris Papadimitriou).[3][4]
As a musicologist he is mainly active in the study of the music of the Ionian islands (west of Greece). He has also given many similar concerts as a pianist. His MA thesis at the university Paris 8 is dealing with the element of chance in music.
As a composer he has written music for solo instruments, chamber music, vocal music (choral and songs), stage music and electronic music.
His early works are mainly influenced by Béla Bartók. A turn is observed by his discovery of minimalism. Processes are a constant characteristic of his music from that time on. A crucial point was the discovery of aleatoric music with Iannis Xenakis. Even more influential was John Cage, more characteristically with his free-floating harmonies (what Cage called “proto-tonality”). A romantic feeling is a recurring feature of his music.
He is co-organizer of the Zante Jazz Festival.[5]
His first personal CD "English Gardens" came out in 2011.[6]