12 Studies for ancient greek Lyre, composed by Nikos Xanthoulis performed by Giorgos Tabakis

Описание: 00:00 info
00:13 study i
01:47 study ii
02:51 study iii
03:43 study iv
05:24 study v
06:52 study vi
08:33 study vii
10:02 study viii
11:02 study ix
13:09 study x
16:11 study xi
18:34 study xii

from my cd
'Eros & Psyche'
Nikos Xanthoulis complete Studies and Sonata for
solo 7-String ancient greek Lyre

Performed by Giorgos Tabakis
Dedicated to my beloved Dr. Nikos Xanthoulis and the path he created

Bandcamp link (audio)
https://giorgostabakis.bandcamp.com/a...

info
Coming into contact with the unprecedented in scope and depth work of composer Nikos Xanthoulis on the study and revival of the 7-string ancient greek lyre - the "national instrument" of ancient Greece and symbol of later Western musical thought - I felt my musical horizons broaden in every direction.

I experienced an irresistible connection with the instrument itself, with the composer himself who was also my mentor throughout this process, with the study of the surviving ancient texts and books on ancient Greek musical theory and practice, with the necessity to reintroduce the sound and playing of the lyre into today's musical experience.

I felt it was my personal duty to capture on CD, in the best possible way technically and aesthetically, the entire original material of the 12 Studies and the 4-part Sonata by the composer Nikos Xanthoulis for solo 7-string ancient Greek lyre, wishing to highlight the beauty, the possibilities, the sound, the solid foundations on which the lyre redefines itself in musical reality.

I believe that this material is useful both for the student of the instrument and the music-loving listener who is attracted by acoustic surprise, as well as for the composer who is looking for new, fresh means of expression.

Special thanks to the manufacturer George Nikas and the "Palmos" Ancient Instrument Manufacturing Laboratory for the creation of such high-level and "athletic" performances, compatible with tradition and historical sources of instruments, which accompanied me in the study and recording of the present result.

Info & contact with Palmos factory and George Nikas:
  / palmosinstruments  

https://lyresociety.com/luthier-3/#:~....

Special thanks to my Gaia Duo partner, dear friend and superb soprano Marilena Chrysohoidi whom i accompanied in the study viii.

Special thanks to the sound engineer, collaborator and friend Giotis Paraskevaides for the unique approach to the recording and the such a lively and "embossed" impression of the audience that gives the lyra a dominant position, the position it deserves.

Special thanks to my wife Anna Kypreou for transferring all my efforts of the last few years to the cover of the CD, through the artistic and penetrating "eye" that distinguishes her.

Recordings:
June 21 & 22, 2025
Aux Studio Athens

Concept / thoughts
What would have been the use and place of the ancient Greek lyre if it had continued to exist and evolve without "disappearing" for a huge period of 1600 years?
(The last written references to the lyre instrument were written in the 5th century AD)

If we consider that this instrument was the cornerstone of ancient Greek artistic, scientific, philosophical research - an instrument that, among other things, was played and studied by students in ancient Athens and other cities as a basic element of school education - an instrument that was the expression of the Apollonian Thought on life, in combination with the spirit of innovation, originality, and continuous evolution that inspired the scholars of the instrument and the wider society, we could easily conclude that the lyre would be the center of today's musical developments.

With top-notch craftsmanship, using modern technologies & applications and in contact with the entire musical spectrum, it would continue to produce and share its special vibrations, vibrations of a multi-level and multi-dimensional reality that we have lost.

Performing concerts and recordings with the lyre in Greece and abroad, I have experienced the great interest of the public in this instrument, its sound, the unknown playing techniques and the possibilities it has, with the simultaneous admiration for the basic principles and information about ancient Greek music that the thorough research of recent decades has brought to the fore.

The rebirth of this magical instrument highlights a truly "other world", forgotten but potentially active, waiting to be (re)discovered and given new life on a musical/philosophical/aesthetic level, achieving an experiential connection with the history and roots of Greek and European culture.
Giorgos Tabakis