THE LYRA THROUGH THE CENTURIES
The moving and timeless sound of Sokratis Sinopoulos’ lyra interacts with the viole da gamba and the brilliant and imposing sound of the French early music ensemble L’Achéron. Through the melancholy that lies at the core of the work Lachrimæ, or Seaven Teares, by great 16th -century English composer John Dowland (1563–1626), and the mixture of joy and sorrow in the sound of Byzantine music, the five musicians unfold the cathartic story of the metamorphosis from darkness to light and the transition from threnody to celebration.
The Politiki lyra [kemençe or kemenche] and the viola da gamba are melancholic and nostalgic instruments par excellence. The seven parts of the work, the ‘Seaven Teares’, range from the tears of a lover’s broken heart to the pious tears of divine love and mystical illumination.
Through his idiosyncratic style of interpretation, Sinopoulos with his lyra undertakes the role of first voice in this five-part work, contributing, to this unconventional collaboration of musical instruments, echoes of Eastern modes and Byzantine music; he leads the ensemble, by means of improvisation and the merry dances that follow, towards catharsis and exaltation.
Lachrimæ Lyræ, which is based upon an idea of Andreas Linos, was recorded at the Noirlac Abbey, France, in 2018, and released on CD by Fuga Libera in 2019.
Sokratis Sinopoulos Politiki lyra [kemençe or kemenche]
L’Achéron:
François Joubert-Caillet soprano viola da gamba
Lucile Boulanger tenor viola da gamba
Andreas Linos tenor viola da gamba
Sarah van Oudenhove bass viola da gamba