Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I am pleased to announce the release across all the usual digital music platforms, of my first new album for 2025, "Magic of the Kithara"! The kithara was the highly advanced, large wooden lyre of the professional musicians of Classical Greece, which reached its pinnacle of perfection during the “Golden Age” of Classical Antiquity, circa 5th century BCE. In this album, I attempt to demonstrate through new compositions conjured forth in a selection of some of the original ancient Greek musical modes, how the magic of the kithara once cast some of its captivating spells.
The winter solstice occurs on December 21st in our current calendar and marks the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. For many ancient Greeks following the Attic calendar, this winter solstice was a time for celebrations marked by the feast of Poseidon, the god of the sea.
"The Feast of Poseidon" (track 2, "Magic of the Kithara"), features the intensely introspective ancient Greek Hypodorian Mode - the conjunction of two tetrachords white form the equivalent intervals as A-A on the white notes of the piano, but heard here, in the intense focus of just intonation.
The tune I created to evoke this long-forgotten winter solstice feast purposely resembles a traditional Christmas carol but transformed by the magic timbre of the recreated kithara into a time machine back to classical antiquity!
"Magic of the Kithara" was inspired by my collaboration in the soundscape to the exhibitions of the new Jeff Koons sculpture, "Apollo Kithara" on the Greek island of Hydra in 2022 & Frankfurt during 2023.
I am pleased to announce the release across all the usual digital music platforms, of my first new album for 2025, "Magic of the Kithara"! The kithara was the highly advanced, large wooden lyre of the professional musicians of Classical Greece, which reached its pinnacle of perfection during the “Golden Age” of Classical Antiquity, circa 5th century BCE. In this album, I attempt to demonstrate through new compositions conjured forth in a selection of some of the original ancient Greek musical modes, how the magic of the kithara once cast some of its captivating spells.
The winter solstice occurs on December 21st in our current calendar and marks the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. For many ancient Greeks following the Attic calendar, this winter solstice was a time for celebrations marked by the feast of Poseidon, the god of the sea.
"The Feast of Poseidon" (track 2, "Magic of the Kithara"), features the intensely introspective ancient Greek Hypodorian Mode - the conjunction of two tetrachords white form the equivalent intervals as A-A on the white notes of the piano, but heard here, in the intense focus of just intonation.
The tune I created to evoke this long-forgotten winter solstice feast purposely resembles a traditional Christmas carol but transformed by the magic timbre of the recreated kithara into a time machine back to classical antiquity!
"Magic of the Kithara" was inspired by my collaboration in the soundscape to the exhibitions of the new Jeff Koons sculpture, "Apollo Kithara" on the Greek island of Hydra in 2022 & Frankfurt during 2023.
