Chondros and Katsiani on the Mountain, by Costis Drygianakis

Chondros and Katsiani on the Mountain

by Costis Drygianakis

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Limited Edition CD with Book.
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Glass mastered CD and bilingual book edition, containing the libretto and freshly commissioned texts.

Includes unlimited streaming of Chondros and Katsiani on the Mountain via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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	1.	Chondros and Katsiani on the Mountain (Part 1) 30:30
	2.	Chondros and Katsiani on the Mountain (Part 2) 28:30

about

After Einstein on the Beach, photographed by Philip Glass, after Nixon in China, immortalised by John Adams, at last Costis Drygianakis presents:
Chondros and Katsiani on the Mountain
A monument of experimental naturalism!
Chondros and Katsiani climb the mysterious mountain, where no journalist has ever set foot, and meet Japanese monks, New Orleans trumpet players and folk singers from Ile Maurice; but also legendary bands from the punk and the heavy metal scenes. An exotic and exhausting trip that boosts not only adrenalin, but also cholesterol […].

(from the planned 1998 press release)

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Back in 1998, and starting as a play on the big operas of American Minimalism (Philip Glass’ Einstein on the Beach and John Adams’ Nixon in China), Costis Drygianakis, together with Thanasis Chondros and Alexandra Katsiani (two thirds of the group Dimosioypalliliko Retire), devised a radio opera based on their own exotic studio travels and throughout the musics of the world. Built around an improvised libretto by Thanasis and Alexandra, Costis’ work develops emphatically though with a light-hearted touch, oscillating between lengthy piano-based structures, powerful instrumental crescendos and a creative use of early digital tools. Chondros and Katsiani on the Mountain is an intricate, rich, and quietly profound piece, yet one that avoids the hubris that comes together with the notion of the “grand work”. In this it stands apart from its contemporaries in 1998, as much as it does today. It also provides a high benchmark for the artists’ careers, as well as for listeners invested in all sorts of sonic explorations.

Whether it be through Optical Musics, his subsequent compositional work, occasional collaborations, or his rich contemporary ethnomusicological research, Costis Drygianakis’ name is nowadays firmly established within the Greek music scene and beyond. Through an equally rich trajectory, Thanasis Chondros and Alexandra Katsiani appear at times as musicians, artists or performers, maintaining a fresh and subversive approach towards artistic expression and work. One of the many non-conformist ideas that came as a result of the meeting of the two is contained in this CD. The work first appeared in Volos’ Municipal Radio in 1998 and in a limited edition on Alli Poli in 2006. It is reissued here in an extensive bilingual edition containing the libretto and freshly commissioned texts.

credits

released June 11, 2019

Thanasis Chondros and Alexandra Katsiani: texts, voices
Costis Drygianakis: recordings, electronics
Hercules Fanarakis: percussion
Periklis Kypraios: mandolin
Vassilis Saitis: cello
Thodoris Zioutos: technical consultant

Remastered by Stephan Mathieu.
Accompanying texts by Areti Leopoulou, Costis Drygianakis, Thanasis Chondros and Alexandra Katsiani, Kostis Kilymis.

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