The Greek singer and lyrics writer Vassiliki Papageorgiou who for many years lives and creates in Istanbul meets Aliki Markantonatou from Greece with her ancient lyre in a space still rich in echoes of antique melodies and traditional songs.

Aliki draws her inspiration from ancient Greece as she composes music to lyrical poetry. She creates distinctive compositions that are played by both traditional and contemporary instruments while also interpreting genuine ancient Greek and Hellenistic period compositions that have come to us through time.

Vassiliki sings poems written by ancient Greek lyrical poets. She also sings traditional Greek and Turkish folk songs together with songs written by contemporary Turkish and Greek composers on her own lyrics.

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The fusion of the ancient lyre sound blended with the voices becomes enhanced with the mandolin melodies played by Vassiliki. The minimal sounds of the accompanying percussion contribute an archaic simplicity to the performance. The songs unravel through the blue notes of the ancient lyre starting from ancient music and reaching out to traditional and contemporary compositions; from the «blues» to the «zeybek», from ancient Greek and modern Greek songs to melodies of Turkey, weaving in this way a rich embroidery so characteristic of the Aegean and the Anatolian hinterland.

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Vassiliki & Aliki have recorded in Istanbul their new album ‘The Chelys Songs’ which was released in June 2017 by ADA Music in Turkey. It is a collaboration with renowned Turkish musicians such as Derya Türkan and Oğuz Büyükberber and the Turkish poet Hasan Erkek.

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They have performed in duo or featuring other fellow musicians in several concerts in Istanbul, Izmir, Athens, Paris and in summer 2017 they toured Italy and the South of France.  

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Vassiliki Papageorgiou: vocals, mandolin, percussion

Aliki Markantonatou: ancient greek lyre, vocals

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Aliki's official website

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