Press Cuttings (selection)

“A score of Byzantine music arranged and performed by the Greek ensemble En Chordais will soak into your system and stay there”. (The New York Times).

“Half way between learned and popular music, east and west, the Voyage [of Marco Polo] is a superb creation, a magical narrative in which a sense of marvel and the discovery of the other have the upper hand.. (Libetation – France).

“The group combines Greek regional idioms and contemporary sounds with a range of influences, mixing moments of traditional festiveness and intense humor into their performance.” (Gig Magazine – UK).

“The concert Marco Polo’s Travels to China is a mosaic of musical traditions just as the Silk Road once blended the cultures of East and West. Guests artists from Tajikistan, Turkey, Israel, Iran and Italy and the En Chordais Ensemble from Greece create an enchanting experience for all.” (English Street – Hong Kong).

“En Chordais is not a group of museum conservationists preciously handling music tracts from the past, but are more investigators wishing to use history as a way to inspire present practice and to further an understanding of themselves”. (Neos Kosmos – Australia)

“The non-profit organization En Chordais, from Thessaloniki, is an example of creativity in the cultural field. Its multi-faceted presence shows both seriousness and knowledge.” (Jazz & Tzaz Magazine – Greece).

“The Greek ensemble En Chordais –hugely popular at the 2007 Mediterranean Arts Festival- return with a multi-media program on Marco Polo’s travels, an epic original musical journey.” (BC Magazine – Hong Kong).

“En Chordais has entranced audiences across Europe with its captivating and hypnotic sound. The spiritual character of their music contrasts with moments of traditional festiveness and a playful humour.” (Ten Days on the Island – Tasmania).

“Ce groupe fondé à Salonique en 1999 a un projet, celui de confronter les différentes traditions musicales vivantes de l’est méditerranéen pour mieux en faire ressortir la proximité. Son répertoire couvre donc les musiques traditionnelles tant hellènes que turques ou égyptiennes (liste non exhaustive), répertoires savants et populaires, mais sans écarter les compositions originales. La démarche est éprouvée et a encore convaincu récemment (Prix France Musique des musiques du monde 2008). (Mondomix – France).

“The recordings of “En Chordais” stand out thanks to the substantiated presentation of their material, a result of systematic research in fields that are not particularly well known, as well as for the high aesthetic value of the generous booklets that accompany them. ….in other words, paradigmatic editions that stem from painstaking and systematic work.” (Eleutherotypia – Greece).

Each concert is an opportunity to enjoy the local traditions and the heritage common to the Mediterranean countries. What an inviting prospect! (Theatre de la Ville official site – France).

“En Chordais is not a typical music ensemble. To be more precise, it is not just a music ensemble. It is a group of people coming from Thessaloniki, motivated by the love for the Near East’s musical tradition, which gave them the impulse to create and develop a cultural organization through which our musical heritage finds a way out to the modern world.” (Eksousia – Greece).

“En Chordais … is one of the music ensembles that have been really creative the last years, following the traditional music forms … Their multifarious activities prove their seriousness and open-minded approach in their work … – The best way to get to know them.” (Ependytis – Greece).

“The music-loving public of the city throngs to their performances, honoring the invited musicians and also rewarding a musical journey of quality and daring.” (Thessaloniki – Greece).

“En prelude, un magnifique morceau instrumental, “Prosmoni”, composition de Kyriakos Kalaitzidis, est venu resonner dans l’eglise avant que les voix se mettent en scene jusqu’a ce tres beau poeme qui a conclu de tres belle maniere la soiree. (Etang de Berre, La Provence).