Βéla Bartók - The Primordial Sound of the Lyra Meets the Piano

SOKRATIS SINOPOULOS -  LYRA
YANN KEERIM - PIANO
 
 
Sokratis and Yann, through their collaboration in recent years, have created a common
code of communication, based on their shared aesthetic for the re-approach of Greek
musical traditions. Their duet is characterised both by a rare and innovative
combination of musical instruments and a creative combination of different musical
cultures. Greek musical traditions, Byzantine music, classical, jazz and contemporary
music are intertwined and assimilated in the diversity of Sokratis Sinopoulos’s
compositions as well as in the interactive improvisations of the two musicians, which
form the special acoustic character of the duo.
 
Sokratis Sinopoulos, one of the most important Greek musicians of international
acclaim, has associated his name with the lyra of Constantinople, as he is mainly
responsible for the revival of this musical instrument in recent decades worldwide.
Starting from the study of the individual peculiarities of the various types of the lyra,
he was gradually led to the formation of a mixed technique of interpretation of the
musical instrument which uses playing techniques from all the types of lyras: Cretan,
Thracian, etc, as well as other bowed instruments mainly from the central Europe,
such as violin, viola da gamba, etc.
 
The lyra, in the form we know it today, as a pear-shaped instrument with a bow, has
more than a thousand years of history, dating back to the time when it was one of the
most popular musical instruments of the Byzantines. Today, the lyra remains in use in
the musical traditions of Constantinople, Thrace, Crete and the Dodecanese, while its
imprint remains strong in the wider Balkan and Mediterranean areas. The new ways
of interpreting the lyra, introduced by Sokratis Sinopoulos, led to the creation of new
compositions for lyra and piano trio (piano, bass, drums) inspired by Greek musical
traditions and especially by the traditions of the lyra. These compositions were
recorded in 2015 by the Sokratis Sinopoulos Quartet, produced by Manfred Eicher,
and released by ECM Records under the title “Eight Winds”, followed in 2019 by the
second album, “Metamodal”. Both albums received excellent reviews from around the
globe.
 
Yann Keerim is one of the brightest pianists of his generation, featuring significant
collaborations with musicians in Greece and abroad. His piano performances stand
out for their sensitivity and combine local musical styles with classical and jazz piano,
leading to a highly original result.