Emilios Riadis

Emilios Riadis (original name Khu; Greek: Αιμίλιος Χου or Ριάδης; 13 May 1885 – 17 July 1935) was a Greek composer. He was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. He had his first music lesson in harmony and piano with a friend of Wagner’s, Dimitrios Lalas. He also studied at the Munich Music Academy from 1908–1910. He studied form, instrumental and fugue with Walburnn, piano with Mayer-Schrey and choral singing with Becht and Stitch.

After finishing at the academy he moved to Paris and studied under Charpentier and Ravel (1910–1915). This was when he started appearing as the composer Riadis because he took the ending of his mother’s maiden name, which was Elefteriadis. He was temporarily arrested at the beginning of World War I and resulted to his permanent move back to Thessaloniki. In 1915 he became a professor at the State Conservatory of Salonica. It is rumored that he was the sub-director, however there are no records indicating this.

Most of his works were for the stage, orchestra and chamber, but Riadis was famous for his songs. His songs were “distinguished by an expressive melodic line, somewhat oriental in its intervallic pattern; his harmonization’s are in the French manner”. Most of his works, however, remained unfinished. He also gave a few lectures during the 1920s. In 1921/22 he lectured on Chinese music, in 1924 on Mozart and in 1926 on Ancient Egyptian music. Riadis won the National Award for Arts and Letters in 1923.

He also made the orchestration of the Hymn of Aris Thessaloniki, of which he was a supporter.

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