Dimitris Mavros plays: Kyriakos Tzortzinakis: 12 Simple Studies (Twelve Studies for Guitar)

Dimitris Mavros plays:
Kyriakos Tzortzinakis: 12 Simple Studies (Twelve Studies for Guitar)
 

This year marks the 76th anniversary of the birth of Kyriakos Tzortzinakis (June 16, 1950 – October 22, 1989), one of the most restless, explosive, and substantial creators of the modern Greek guitar school. On this occasion, it is my pleasure to present the recording of the complete cycle of his "Twelve Studies" (12 Simple Studies).

These are works that, although Tzortzinakis remains a particularly beloved composer within our guitar community, have only been released on record in part — mainly by the soloist Kostas Grigoreas — and had never before been presented as a single, self-contained sound collection.
 

The Architecture of the Collection and Its Influences

I believe the choice of the number 12 is by no means accidental. Tzortzinakis, with his deep knowledge of the worldwide repertoire, followed in the footsteps of Heitor Villa-Lobos and other great composers who chose that same number for their complete sets of studies.

The work weaves a unique mosaic of melodic pieces, full of vivid imagery and constant shifts in mood, with the technical difficulty escalating progressively:

Studies 1 through 7: The composer's language remains outwardly simple, built on the instrument's romantic and traditional elements.

Studies 8 through 12: The music becomes rougher, more modern, and more demanding to interpret. The concluding 12th Study, in particular, is a stroke of genius that immediately brings to mind Villa-Lobos's legendary 1st Study for guitar, functioning as an "apotheosis" of the virtuosic experiences that came before it.

Although the work is technically within reach of an advanced guitarist, I believe that performing it meaningfully requires deep musical maturity, not merely cold technical proficiency.
 

Manos Hadjidakis's Testimony

The historical value of these studies was recognized right from their birth. Manos Hadjidakis, after studying the manuscript material, enthusiastically wrote the preface for their first edition in 1976 (published by Philippos Nakas). He noted, characteristically, about the then-young composer, who had just graduated from Dimitris Fambas's class at the National Conservatory:

"Kyriakos Tzortzinakis's Twelve Studies for guitar are a most delightful musical surprise, and a contribution to the field of educational music of inestimable value for our country... I congratulate Tzortzinakis for his work as a whole, but even more so for his noble aims, which he knows how to realize with inspiration and innate talent."
 

 

The Story of the Recording

This recording was made in the summer of 2025. Artistic direction of the project, as well as the shaping of the final sound, was in the hands of Kostas Grigoreas – a man who was a close friend, a fellow student, and the foremost interpreter and keeper of Tzortzinakis's work. I thank him from the bottom of my heart for his invaluable help, and I dedicate this effort to him.

It is my sincere wish that this release will rekindle interest in the body of work of this composer who was lost so early. I hope these beautiful studies will find their way into the teaching repertoire of fellow instructors, and will be heard in concert halls as widely as possible.

June 16, 2026
Dimitris Mavros
(Soloist and guitar teacher)

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Page technical editing by Kostas Grigoreas
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