Written by Sotiris Bekas
“If ‘Notio Toxo-In Karpathos’ was a music proposal based on the repertoire of the southern Greek geographic arc, the following recording of the successful project (‘Katerina Papadopoulou & Aegean Arc – Aura‘), and new work of Katerina Papadopoulou and her musical partners, Stefanos Dorbarakis (kanun), Giorgos Kontogiannis (lyra), and Kyriakos Tapakis (oud), is an album that breathes the saltiness of the Greek archipelago, its history, dimly lit like the flicker of a candle, but also captivating like the tales of Papadiamantis.
This is the continuation of a musical journey by Katerina Papadopoulou, which increasingly justifies her, and opens artistic paths not only for herself but also for her fellow travelers. ‘Aura’ is a series of songs from the Aegean Sea that, while heard before, are rarely interpreted in this way. Here, Papadopoulou not only converses with the musicians but also with her soul. You can hear it in the breaths of her singing, in the emotional burden she accepts and expresses sincerely and nobly. These songs, delivered in this way, evoke deep emotions and also embody a rare aesthetic. The contribution of Giorgos Kariotis, Christos Achladiotis (sound engineering), and Efrén Lopez, a gifted musician and sound technician who handled the mastering, is not accidental. The three of them have created a sonic landscape that highlights the songs and the musical performance, which is not hurried but calm (‘Dísticha tis thálassas,’ ‘Bratsera,’ ‘Méra Mérose,‘ ‘Pernodiaveno‘), simple but full, tumultuous and powerful when expressing Dionysian energy (‘Mia Kóri apó tin Ámorgo‘). Perhaps the most intense element is the beauty, gentleness, and dynamics of the silence that is allowed by the pauses in a complete musical phrase to hover without arrogance.
It is a musical narrative dramatically structured with songs from the repertoire of the Aegean Pelagos, more with materials from the sweetness of the Dodecanese, but like salt, they also add flavor, songs such as a Serenade from Naxos or the Ikarian song ‘Ti écheis mavre kóraka,’ recorded by Simon Karas, also recorded by Domna Samiou, but remained a relatively unknown ‘diamond.’
Katerina Papadopoulou notes about the album, ‘My companions, for yet another time, are Stefanos Dorbarakis, Giorgos Kontogiannis and Kyriakos Tapakis. Each of them is unique and absolutely irreplaceable for the overall distinctive sound, but mainly for the energy balance throughout our whole endeavour, from the first rehearsals, the voyage, the cohabitation, the performance, to the completion and the mutual support at all levels.
Together, in a fraternal partnership, Chariton Charitonidis, who gave a touch of intensity as well as a dancing dimension to the “Crab”. The magic touch of sound always belongs to George Kariotis, with Christos Achladiotis’s vital contribution, both traveling with us to record in the remote island of Karpathos for yet another time. Efrén Lopez, whom we particularly respect, did the final mastering, adding a further shine to the final result.’
The album ‘Katerina Papadopoulou & Aegean Arc – Aura‘ will be officially released in late January 2024.
For more information, see here.”
