Journey for Two

The duo Jonian Ilias Kadesha and Vashti Hunter write of their new release: "When choosing the title of this album, we were immediately drawn to the title of the first piece in our recording, Dhipli Zyia by Xenakis, which simply translates as 'a band of two folk musicians'. After delving more deeply, we discovered that Zyia derives from the ancient Greek word 'balance', which is such a vitally important element of chamber music, and indeed - in any relationship. Fittingly, Zyia is also another name for Hera, the Goddess of marriage from ancient Greek mythology. This album symbolizes an important part of a journey for us - not only as partners in chamber music - but also as a celebration of our friendship... Our recording centres around pieces which celebrate the joy and vibrancy of folk music, opening with music by Xenakis from the Balkans in Greece, Jonian's birthplace, then venturing north to Hungary for the Kodály, west to Switzerland/France for the Sonatina by Honegger and finally returning to Greece for a rarely performed duo by Skalkottas. We are both in love with folk music, particularly from the Balkans, and hope to pass on some of the joy it brings us when playing it!"