Rodopi Ensemble: Manes tis kalinihtias

Manes tis kalinihtias (rebetiko): anonymous

Thrace is a vast region with unclear boundaries. Situated between Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, it possesses rich musical traditions. Its unique music and dances have fermented during the millions of years it has existed. The ancient Greeks knew the region’s music well. The area is said to have given birth to the asymmetric measures that are emblematic for Balkan music.

The Rodopi Ensemble, which comes from Thrace’s Greek part, was named after the Rodopi mountain range. The group has been making the region’s music known for twenty years. The Ensemble features a clarinet, a violin, a kanun (a Middle-Eastern zither), a lute, a tubleki (a Greek drum), and singing, in order to perpetuate, with passion, the traditions of this musical breeding ground. Be it playing the hasapiko, the tsifteteli, the karsilamas or the zeibekiko, Rodopi honors Thrace’s colorful sounds and its sublime movements. They also played this marvellous rebetiko-song.

- Alkis Zopoglou: kanun
- Kyriakos Petras: violin
- Nikos Angousis: clarinet
- Yorgos Pagozidis: percussion
- Drosos Koutsokostas: lute and song

Recorded at Muziekpublique / Molière, Ixelles, Belgium on 06/05/2022.
Sound: Christine Verschorren
Ligths: Erik Janssens
Video: Elsa Audevart, Suzanne Carré, Tom Coss