Medea

I have one other piece by Eleni Karaindrou..."Step of the Stork" from 2000. Why I have waited this long to purchase more of her music is beyond me. I was overwhelmed by the music of "Step of the Stork", and am equally knocked out by this production. The recording time is just over 46 minutes which will peeve some people (not enough for my money sort of thinking, I guess). But when this production ended all I could do is sit and think of what had just taken place, both musically and mythologically. To add another piece as a "filler" would have been totally dissatisfying, and would ruin the emotion of the music. This is minimalist music, but not like others you might know. To have more musicians would be overblown...8 musicians and Eleni Karaindrou singing lead vocals, and a fine small women's chorus with two very good soloists on tracks 13 and 15. The story is allegedly mythological, but one only needs read the headlines and you can pick out occasional Medeas from our present midst, sadly. Her husband Jason (leader of the Argonauts, Golden Fleece, etc) marries another woman whose father is King Cronus. Cronus bans Medea and her two sons by Jason from residing in Corinth. She pleads for one added day, and during this time produces a robe and tiara with a horrid curse laid upon them. She convinces Jason to take this gift to his new wife as Medeas acceptance of the marriage to Jason. He does, new wife dons the gifts and suddenly bursts into flames. Cronus flies to her aid, but is engulfed in flames also. Two down. To cause greatest harm to Jason Medea then murders their two sons, and flees with their bodies so that Jason cannot mourn and bury them. I believe according to Bulfinch's Age of Fables she flees in a chariot drawn by a dragon...appropriate. This music fits the sadness, anger and hurt of the tale. It is spare, harmonic and simply beautiful. The production of the CD is absolutely wonderful and has the clear delineation of the strings and woodwinds typical of ECM. The sense of the recording space is felt and clearly seems a medium size venue with a modestly resonant character. All in all a 5 Star production. I rarely give 5 Stars with the idea that there will be another recording which is going to be better, but not this time. This is all realized so completely perfectly I'm certain there will not be a better production. The booklet has great photos of the stage production of Medea from 2011. This I would have loved to see. Very highly recommended.

Accidentally, I listened to Eleni's music on the University Of Mexico radio station for the first time some years ago. I'm not an expert or simply a qualified person to make a qualified statement or critic on her music. Al I can say is that her music is unique, delightful for your ears and that it takes you bak to the glorious days of the ancient Greece. Enrique R. Garduno,

First, let me say that, other than Karaindrou's soundtracks, I generally find soundtrack CDs disappointing. However, I have all of Karaindrou's CD's and up until now, the Weeping Meadow was my favourite, but this tops them all. The few songs sprinkled throughout have been written with beautiful harmonies, and the Greek is clear and comprehensible. I would recommend this CD to anyone and everyone.

All film music Eleni Karaindrou compose and play are so sad but in same time so incredible beautiful

Hadn't ever heard of Eleni Karaindrou and tried this on a whim -- wonderful piece! Very Greek in its sound, very tragic in its tone (as fits the story). Loved it!

Karaindrou's music is hauntingly beautiful. Her music for Medea captures the beauty and the horror of this timeless tragedy. Her music for The Trojan Women does the same. She understands Euripedes.

Quality merchandise, fast shipping, smooth transaction. Recommended!!!

incontournable Karaindrou

Medea, by Euripides, is an ancient Greek tragedy with dark themes, as intimated by some of the track titles. The performance for which this score was composed was part of an arts festival in Athens in 2011 and the photos on the sleeve notes show a dark and minimalist set. From some avant garde composers, all this might easily have prompted something stark, morose, and unmusical, which would sound awful out of context.But from Eleni Karaindrou, there was no risk of that.The tone is quite dark, naturally, with a slow tempo and minor keys; but though emotive, it is never depressing or too minimalist. The instrument line-up mixes classical with traditional. It includes a lute, lyre (Greek harp), ney (Turkish flute), clarinets, cello, santouri (aka. cimbalom or hammered dulcimer), and bendir (open-backed drum). The lyrics were written by Giorgos Cheimonas.The opener, Argo's Voyage, begins with an interesting clarinet motif which recurs a few times later. Things remain instrumental until Medea's Lament I and II, which feature a striking solo vocal from Ms. Karaindrou herself. After that, there are more songs, three choral and two solo, alongside fewer instrumentals.This is subtle and beautiful music with a traditional influence which stands on its own merits, far from mere accompaniment. The whole album works whether or not you listen to it with the story in mind. The recurring motifs, well-judged balance of music and voice, and a sense of building drama all come together perfectly in light of the concept.The only dampener is that the recording quality is not quite ECM's usual grade. There is sometimes a slightly rough edge to the group vocals; and it is over all a little less dynamic and detailed than other ECM albums. This would be understandable if it was recorded live at a theatre, but the notes refer to a studio recording prior to the live performances. I must emphasise that it is only a small issue which may not be noticed by everyone, and you need not be dissuaded by it, but it niggles me enough to deny it a perfect rating.If, on seeing the title, you thought that it might be the score for a Greek tragedy and thus might be best avoided, you would be only half right and you would be missing out on an unusual and very likeable album. 9/10.

Beaucoup d emotion a l ecoute de ce cd

Diese Musik bringt mich immer wieder zum Träumen. Egal ob ich sie konzentriert mit geschlossenen Augen höre oder in ihrem Sog ein Bild male. Ich habe oft tagelang die CD nicht gewechselt und immer wieder neu gestartet.

Daß sie ungheuer gute Filmmusik schreiben kann, brach' ich nicht weiter erwähnen, aber Theatermusik ist eben ein anderes, leider fast vergessenes Ressort. Und auch hier meistert Frau Karaindrou die Aufgabe mit Bravour! Schon bei Trojan Women fand ich die Musik überwältigend und nun bei Medea - es steht in nichts nach. Einfühlsam begleitet die Musik die Thematik des Dramas, geht sensibel auf die Stimmungen der Szenen ein, schafft neue Wege zur Aufnahme des Stücks. Ich bin, wie fast immer, völlig begeistert von EK.