“Prix France Mousique Des Musiques Du Monde” 2008
En Chordais ensemble is an independent part of the cultural organization “En Chordais” based in Thessaloniki. It is active in the domain of multicultural, learned and popular musical traditions of the Mediterranean, exploring both their creative continuity and their meeting with contemporary musical trends, in a fusion mood. Through an osmotic procedure the group successfully combines Byzantine and art music of Mediterranean with Greek regional idioms and contemporary music. Collaborating occasionally with virtuosi from all over the world the ensemble presents a multimedia mosaic dating from the 13th century to today. The result is a timeless dialogue between different cultures and eras.
En Chordais, renowned for extensive research on the musical legacy of the East Mediterranean, has entranced audiences by more than 400 concerts all over the world. The appreciated ensemble has been invited and performed in very special and important concert halls, Library of Alexandria, The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium of Metropolitan Museum of Art - New York, Institut du Monde Arabe and Theatre de la Ville, Les Abbesses - Paris, Palais de Bozar -Brussels, Carl-Orff - Saal Gasteig -Munich, Saint Marc -Venice, Parcel Room of South Bank - London, City Hall Concert Hall – Hong Kong are just some of them... The group has also collaborated with top musicians from Greece, Arabic world, Iran, Turkey, Israel, China, Canada as well as from Europe.
In November 2006 En Chordais accompanied the President of the Republic of Greece to his official travel to United Arabic Emirates and to Oman giving a series of concerts while in 2007 it was included as an official proposal by the Greek department of UNESCO for the Sharjah Prize for the promotion of Arab culture.
In March of 2008, the group during its participation to Babel Med Festival received the “Prix France Musique des Musiques du Monde” in Marseilles for its assistant in the promotion of Greek music in abroad. The award is accompanied by recording a disk of “En Chordais” for the French record company Occorá with worldwide distribution by Harmonia Mundi.
Εn Chordais activities, concerts and discography, have been largely publicized, with enthusiastic reviews to significant musical magazines as well as on line articles, presentations, references, interviews, TV and Radio emissions (BBC world service, TV 5, Radio CANADA, Radio FRANCE, New York Times, Turkish Radio Television, Al Jazeera, National Greek Television, etc).
Discography of En Chordais:
1. Leila and Metznoun. Music with compositions of the classical music of the East in the famous love poem of the great Iraqi poet Fouzouli (16th cent.),in translation and recitation Thomas Korovini. Lyra, Athens 1996.
2. Prosmoni. Compositions of the members of “En Chordais”, but also important compositions of earlier times, which support the link of yesterday with today.“ En Chordais” 1901,Thessaloniki 2001.
3. Secular Music of Athos Byzantine Music Codes. Unknown traditional songs and compositions of the lords of Fanar as they preserved in manuscripts music codes in the monastic libraries of Mount Athos - Athos. Research – texts: Thomas Apostolopoulos. Music: Kyriakos Kalaitzidis. There is a CD embedded in the book of Proceedings of the parallel events of the Exhibition of Treasures of Mount Athos – Athos. OPPETH ‘97
4. Thalassa Thimisou. A double CD, with songs and tunes from the Oinousses and the Asia Minor coast. Maritime Museum Oinousses, I - 1801 & II - 1802, Athens 1999.
5. Zacharias Hanedes. Pieces if secular and church music of the great Greek composer of the 18th century from Constantinople. “En Chordais” 1912, Thessaloniki 2001/ Kalan Music 344, Constantinople 2004.
6. Petros Peloponnisios. Secular and church music of the great composer of the 18th century from Constantinople, Petro Lampadariou of Peloponnesse. “En Chordais” 1919, Thessaloniki 2005.
7. Stou Meliou tous Kafenedes. Songs and tunes from the cycle of time, the cycle of life and fun. A recording of the rich Asia Minor tradition of Meliou of Eritrea. Cultural organization “Agios Ioannis o Theologos”, 2007.
8. Grèce: Musique d’ Asie Mineure et de Constantinople. Songs and tunes from Constantinople, Smyrna and Asia Minor. Live recording in the Theatre de la Ville – Abesse in Paris in the context of the award of “En Chordais” by the French Radio with the “Prix France Music des Musiques du Monde 2008”. Music: Kyriakos Petras. Ocora C 560223 HM 76, Paris 2010.
It also participates in the CD:
1. Sounds of Castles. Chronis Aidonidis, Christos Zotos, Giasemi and Nickos Saragoudas, Achileas Vasileiadis, Panagiotis Lalezas etc. in songs for the castles of all over the Greece. “En Chordais” 1904, Thessalonki 2004, in conjunction with the 9th Eforeia Byzantine Antiquities.
2. Carrefour de la Méditerranée. Coopetarion of “En Chordais” with the Libanese singer Ghada Shbeir and the ensemble Constantinople of the Iranian Kiya and Ziya Tabassian. Music and songs at the crossroads of the Mediterranean in live recording in Montreal… ATMAClassique 22316, Montreal 2004.
3. Exile. Composition: Kyriakos Kalaitzidis, “En Chordais” 1904, Thessaloniki 2005.
4. The Tale of Music. Composition Kyriakos Kalaitzidis and text Vasiliki Neurokopli. “En Chordais” 1927, Thessaloniki 2009.
5. Music from the North and East Aegean Sea. A series of Greek Music Charts (“Foundation of the Hellenic Parliament for the Parliamentarism and Democracy” 978-960-6757-21-1), Athens 2009.
6. Greek Café. A collection of Greek traditional and art music (“MusicRoughGuides” RGNET1197CD8), London 2010.