ASTERO - PHILIPPOS TSALACHOURIS

Film screening of the silent movie with piano accompaniment.

The silent film by the Gaziadis brothers (1929), with music by Philippos Tsalachouris, will be performed live on the piano alongside the screening.
Astero is a pastoral romance filmed on the peaks of Kalavryta in 1929, the first great commercial and artistic success of Greek cinema. A bucolic view of Greece at the beginning of the 20th century through the lens of the Gaziadis brothers. The emotional bucolic drama, a familiar genre to the Greek audience, nurtured by the romances of Peresiadis and Koromilas, contributed to the film’s great success. The leading roles were played by the “most outstanding Greek artists”, as the poster of the time read, Aliki Theodoridou, Aimilios Veakis, Kostas Mousouris and Dimitris Tsakiris. The script was written by Pavlos Nirvanas.
The live piano accompaniment of silent cinema was, for decades, the only practice. It adds drama and intense emotion. It is extremely difficult and strenuous work for the pianist because of the long duration of the films and the constant accompaniment. More difficult, however, is to follow the film closely in order to achieve rhythmic and dramatic synchronization.
Philippos Tsalachouris, who will accompany the film live on the piano, reviving the practice of screenings at the beginning of film history, was commissioned by the Greek Film Archive to compose the music. He has presented Astero at many festivals and venues in Greece and London. Most notable was a screening with his piano accompaniment at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus at the Athens Festival in July 2018.