Petroloukas Halkias & Vasilis Kostas – The Soul of Epirus (Technotropon, 2019)
Two Greek music masters, Petroloukas Halkias and Vasilis Kostas, representing different generations, present a captivating musical exchange on The Soul of Epirus. The album features a set of instrumental duos, highlighting the interaction between the clarinet and the lauto (8-string, fretted Greek lute).
The focus is the music of Epirus, a region in northwestern Greece. Petroloukas Halkias met Vasilis in Boston in November 2015 during the annual Greek dance event organized by the Epirotic Society of Worcester. “I had never met him before despite the fact that we both come from the region of Pogoni in Epirus, Greece,” says clarinetist Petroloukas Halkias. “The moment I heard him playing “Skaros”, using the exact same phrasing I use when playing, I realized that this kid could achieve great things.”
The two musicians started performing together and Vasilis Kostas adapted various instrumental pieces to play them the same way Kalkias plays them, adapted to the lauto.
“Vasilis and I created something that will be left as a legacy to the young musicians,” says Petroloukas Halkias. “We, as musicians, entered a chaos that never ends. However, each new generation can have its own small contribution to whatever the previous generation created, the same way my generation did.”
More about Petroloukas Halkias and Vasilis Kostas
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.