Overview

A musical performance dedicated to the many different versions of the lyra and to the traditions around it, from various regions of Greece and around Greece, featuring authentic folk instrument players and dance groups.

In the large family of folk-music bowed instruments, lyras have an energy that is quite their own; an idiosyncratic balance between Apollonian measure and light and explosive Dionysian vitality. They represent the primordial sound, the authority of tradition and of the rituals performed in festive gatherings and celebrations, weddings and open-air spaces where people meet to dance. And in many places, the lyra still resists, to this day, the violin’s omnipotent presence. Every place boasts its own version of the lyra, which differs from the others in terms of shape, construction, tunings and playing techniques, but also in terms of the skills required of its player. In the great celebration hosted by the Bridges Cycle, the lyras of the Aegean (from Crete, the Dodecanese, Ikaria and Lemnos), of Macedonia (from Drama) and of Thrace (from the “Anastenaria”, the barefoot fire-walking ritual), the kemence of Pontus, the kemane of Cappadocia, and the special Turkish type of lyra from Constantinople and Asia Minor, come together with an uplifting strike of their bows, revealing the vast universe of sounds that this small but miraculous musical instrument can produce.

In collaboration with the Centre for Greek Music “Phivos Anogeianakis”

Co-produced by:

Phormigx Concert Agency

Megaron the Athens Concert Hall