CRITICAL REVIEWS

“...A born conductor”

Maestro Yuri Simonov, Bolshoi Theatre

“Maestro Notis Georgiou is a highly recommended conductor and an excellent guitarist. A most
sensitive musician of solid and painstaking training…/ He knows precisely how to achieve, with precise
and elegant gestures, that musicians reach a high level of performance in their concerts.”
Teatro Colón Argentina, Pablo Saraví, Concertmaster of Buenos Aires Philharmonic Orchestra,
Concertmaster of Academia Bach de Buenos Aires, Member of the World Orchestra for Peace

Ballet Guru Yorgos Loukos, artistic director of the Lyon Opera Ballet, a leading force in contemporary
dance, commented on ’’ORESTEIA’’, the new ballet-trilogy by Notis Georgiou:
’’ I liked it very much indeed. Bravo, it is really very well done!’’

Concert of 28th May, 2008

“…he is a multitalented musician and even more he is one of the very rare conductors who conduct
everything by memory, be that symphonies, concertos etc! His repertoire is absolutely enormous. I was
indeed impressed by the musical understanding and the technical skills of Maestro Georgiou. The
communication between us was perfect and the truth of the matter is that something positively
"special" happened during the concert.
It was music-creating and not just routine as one can experience too often during concerts.
Moreover, Notis Georgiou conducted Beethoven's Concerto N°3 for piano and orchestra by heart
(additionally to the symphonic works), which is quite unusual.
As far as I am concerned, I have already performed this concerto about 90 times worldwide and this
was the only time that I ever saw a conductor doing it by memory.
I would like to stress that I am totally independent in my judgement and that I have no personal
interest in recommending him, apart from a real admiration.”
Cyprien Katsaris, pianist

« A small country like Cyprus, has exported a Nicolas Economou, a Martinos Tirimos, a Marios
Papadopoulos, a Notis Georgiou. »
Cyprien Katsaris, pianist 25.09.2011

"A conductor with an overwhelming, effortless dynamism,...an extraordinary talent with

extraordinarily high standard musical gifts, sovereign artistic value and psychological mastery. A most
mature artist predestinated for a beautiful future."
Hungarian State Opera House music review (Medveczky Ádám)

Review of Concert of 16th November, 2004

“... Never have I heard Tchaikovsky`s Rococo Variations accompanied with such mastery-not even by
the Russians.”
Mezo Laszlo, Cellist of the Bela Bartok String Quartet, Professor of the Liszt Academy of Music

Review of Concert of 21st May, 2002

“... Maestro Notis Georgiou simply has everything.”
Musica Nostra

“What Notis Georgiou achieves with a performance is a bombastic experience of catharsis”

Imre Patkós, General Director of Szolnok Symphony Orchestra
Review of Concert of 27th June, 2005
“... Hearing the Notis Georgiou-Marku Susan duo in the premiere of my work Rebetikο Suite, I felt, for
the first time, justified.”
Vassilis Tenidis, Composer

“Notis Georgiou’s performances reveal features of my works that even myself ignored. He is one of the
3 great conductors who have honored my work: Odysseas Dimitriadis, Miltiadis Caridis and Notis
Georgiou”
Vassilis Tenidis, Composer

Review of Concert of 12th June, 2001

“... The best classical symphony performance held in Liszt Academy in the last 50 years.”
Lukacs Ervin, President of Budapest Philharmonia.

"A completely new age of guitar playing: Notis is for the guitar what Glenn Gould has been for the
piano.!"
“…The Hungarian Symphony Orchestra invites the artists par excellence of the Hungarian and
International music life : amongst its world-renowned conductors are Kocsis Zoltán, Kovács János and
Notis Georgiou…"
Tamás Gál, Conductor, Artistic Director on the occasion of inviting Notis Georgiou to perform 4 guitar
concertos at a single concert (Tarregiana, Rebetiko suite, Concierto de Aranjuez, Fantasía para un
gentilombre) as soloist-conductor of the Hungarian Symphony Orchestra.

Review of concert as guitar and piano soloist-conductor of 13th December, 2011

Featuring Mozart: Piano concertos no. 21, 27, J. Haydn: Piano concerto in D major
Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez and Pachelbel : Canon
“…Mr Kocsis, Mr Vásáry, welcome the new member of the pianist-conductor generation: Maestro
Notis Georgiou.”
Kovács Dávid

“…A man of renaissance”

Szabó Julianna

“DODECACHORDON ENCHANTS BUDAPEST AUDIENCE”

Concert of June 11th, featuring the world premiere of Cypriot Diptychon and the world premiere of Folías all'
antica, both by Notis Georgiou, and the Hungarian premiere of Rebetiki Suite by Vassilis Tenidis.

“A most beautiful programme, real music delicacies, gentle music in the hands of masters!”
Sebestyén Márta, Hungary's best known vocalist, composer and Unesco Artist for Peace, mainly known as the
vocalist of the “English Patient”, awarded with 9 Oscars (including Best Soundtrack) in 1997

23rd April 2013

„ …his professional career is exemplary. His work in local and international music life is outstandingly
worth noticing. Not only the usual bio data, the reviews and the references certify Mr Georgiou’s
exceptional qualities, but also the high esteem which embraces him in our country’s music life.”
Dénes Gulyás, tenor, Franz Liszt Prize, Artist of Merit of the Hungarian People's Republic, Outstanding
Artist of the Republic of Hungary, Hungarian Heritage Award, Music Director of Pécs State Theatre,
Professor at Liszt Music University and University of Pécs.

Review of Erkel’s Hunyadi László Opera performance, 12th May, 2013

“Authentically Magyar. Full of breathtakingly passionate emotional breakouts, with irresistible drive
and electrifyingly dramatic impact, unmistakable, incisive, sharply defined, conscientious, meticulous:
simply magnificent’’
Anikó P.Szabó, Hungarian State Opera House music review

16th September 2012

“I first performed with Notis Georgiou 8 years ago. His readiness and talent were already
extraordinarily high-standard, his knowledge of Hungarian overwhelming. Notis Georgiou has always
proved he was born to be a guitarist, as well as his musical sensitivity and his non compromising
ambition in his work both as a conductor and as a sensitive musician. Both as a man and a musician, his
excellent properties predestine him to satisfy even the highest demands.”
Vilmos Szabadi, violinist, Docens of Liszt Ferenc Music Academy,
Liszt, Hungaroton and Midem prize-winner

Bonn, Beethoven-Haus
« A really overwhelming performance !»
Anthony Pilavachi, opera director (German Critic Award 2011, Echo Klassik Award 2012/
(European Grammy for Classical Music) for the best opera DVD 2012 worldwide)

«...His gestures, his music instructions are indubitable, his tempo changes captivating, the
communication with both the orchestra and the choir highly intensive…He conducted every single
opera performance with unerring, firm hand and high intellectual confidence. A pleasure working with
him, both as a man and a professional”
Kalman Strausz, Conductor of the Hungarian State Opera Choir

„Notis Georgiou’conducting is able to bring out very special forces in his colleagues. His disciplined and
honest personality, his humble dedication to music are exemplary. I am glad we worked together.../… it
was very inspiring indeed.
Daniel Patkos, violist

„As a professional, perfect, as a man, we got to know an exceptional colleague. Opera theatres can
benefit a lot from his knowledge, his work ethic and persistence.”
Tamás Daróczi, tenor soloist of Hungarian State Opera House

„…It is thanks to this ingenious young couple that the Bratislava audience first met Márta Sebestyén.
Their performance was an overwhelming music experience !”
Erzsébet Pogány, editor, Cleveland, Bratislava

„This concert is as special as you are: beautiful, harmonic and exalting, placid and serene !”
Hedvig Dvorsky, art critic

„We are deeply grateful for the stunningly beautiful melodies..., for bringing to us ART, as it was
handed over by our ancestors.”
Gitta Pálinkás, Bratislava

“Un genio! A genius!”

Pablo Votti, Buenos Aires

“Electrifying!
Most personal, agile, engaging and full of brilliance. Georgiou proved to be an exceptional interpreter
(soloist) and an unbelievable conductor. He conducted from the guitar having the orchestra behind
him. No eye contact was possible. With light head movements he marked the entrances of the
instruments and guided the overall performance, demonstrating at the same time a most appreciated,
subtle tone, which eliminated the need of amplification of the guitar. A pleasant surprise was that
Georgiou conducted all the works by memory, including the world premiers, with absolute authority
and control…./ He triumphed with an electrifying interpretation that had everything: energy at
culmination points, solvency and drive in the development of the theme variations of the second
movement and total intensity in the Scherzo. He demanded the maximum from the musicians, who
responded to the limit, all emerging from a fascinating experience, which the audience attended with an
almost “sepulchral” silence. The ovation that erupted at the end was the full proof of the result. Such
performances that exalt the work of this extraordinary ensemble are very much welcome.”
Donato Decina, music critic, Buenos Aires

“Your body expresses each note and caresses every single instrument. You have the soul of Orpheus”
Inés Isolda Grünwaldt, Buenos Aires

“It is not You but us who should bow after every performance, to worship Your artistic greatness”
Nicole Boulanger, Brussels

Márta Sebestyén Hungary's best known vocalist, composer and Unesco Artist for Peace, mainly known as the
vocalist of the “English Patient”, awarded with 9 Oscars (including Best Soundtrack) in 1997, about Notis
Georgiou / a Hungarian Television interview
available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXVL81G31xw
Reporter: When and how did you get to know Notis?

Márta Sebestyén: I heard a great deal about Notis among the Greeks in Hungary, they kept mentioning
him. The Greek Administration and Community publish a newspaper about their cultural news, which
I used to receive too. There I continuously kept seeing „conducted by Notis Georgiou, Notis Georgiou”.
Once I asked: who is this man, this cypriot conductor, who lives here and is so active and appears in so
many forums? In secret I thought I should get to him, maybe I could learn something from him as well,
because I am terribly happy when I can personally collect songs from the homeland of a person, who is
obviously its best conoisseur. I thought a conductor will definitely be able to recommend folksongs
from his native land. For it is hard to find cypriot folksongs. So once, I saw that he is giving a guitar
concert with his ensemble-with Susan, performing a very beautiful bouquet, a beautiful programme in
MOM. I attended the event, taking along a small notebook, which I filled up with notes and saw that
they perform entirely such music delicacies arranged on such an intellectual basis, but filled with
splendid content, for which delicacies I myself am very excited and through a knowledge-spreading
activity, that goes beyond music and entertainment, teaches and educates, of which I am particularly
fond. I found it very interesting. After the concert, when I went to him, it seemed that he was also very
happy we finally met and began discussing in a way, that already in the third minute I had the
impression that we are just continuing a discussion that began long ago. Thus, for some reason, this
meeting became quasi the continuation of a very deep, already existing friendship, after which we met
several times. We also discussed about professional issues and it seemed that we can participate in each
other’s artistic plans. I find very touching the fact that he got to know so thoroughly the Hungarian
culture. The way he speaks is simply fantastic: with such a splendid vocabular treasury, such a
pronounciation, that a lot of Hungarian people could feel ashamed with their 50-word sms dialect, so
rich is his speech. He has such a feeling and comprehension of the language that, for example, once I
asked him to help translating a peculiar Greek carol to Hungarian, to include it in the material of the
upcoming recording both in original and in translation. Well, not only did he translate the text, but he
somehow did it in a splendid way, in rhythm, taste and tone, as a true literary translator. I myself only
know of László Nagy, who was capable of translating folksongs in rhythm, Bulgarian folksongs to
Hungarian, in a way that in Hungarian language the translation perfectly cites the original. In a word,
he is an astonishing man. And at the same time, he is always so delicate, playful, simple, in far distance
from factitiousness of any kind. I very much like that he is so strongly attracted to nature, that he often
goes to excursions and practically knows this country so well, as if it were his palm. Therefore, the fact
that he has now become a Hungarian citizen is self-comprehensible. I wish there were plenty of
Hungarian-Hungarian people that love and know this country and its culture as much.