Auckland: John Psathas and the APO Bridge Worlds

John Psathas and the APO Bridge Worlds for Auckland Arts Festival

The New Zeibekiko, Auckland Town Hall, 7.30pm, 18 March

Composer John Psathas has shown again and again that he’s not afraid to fuse the worlds of classical and non-classical music. A forthcoming work commissioned by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra (APO), for example, sees Psathas joining forces with New Zealand musician Warren Maxwell for a ‘folk-roots concerto’.

But before then, Psathas’s piece The New Zeibekiko is being performed in conjunction with the APO and Greek traditional musicians flown over especially for the concert, which forms part of the 2011 Auckland Arts Festival.

It’s a work that bridges the gaps between contrasting worlds: Greece/New Zealand; tradition/modernity; folkloric musicians/classical musicians. These apparent contradictions are examined, resolved, left to linger in this work named for the Greek zeibekiko dance.

Even that name, The New Zeibekiko (and note the ‘NZ’ in the title), is a contradiction. The zeibekiko is a traditional dance with roots in Anatolia (now Turkey); it’s improvised and performed solo. Almost by definition, orchestral music is mostly composed and the work of many, not the individual.

In The New Zeibekiko Psathas is thus creating a ‘new tradition’, suggesting that music of the past is also the music of the present, and flexible enough to accommodate change.

Based on an earlier work, it’s a labour of love for Psathas, and something he’s wanted to do for a long time. It has now been made possible though his position as Composer-in-Residence of the APO.

“Sacred, profane and thrilling, this is a powerful musical odyssey,” Psathas says, “bringing together living practitioners of mystical, musical arts with the rich vibrancy of today’s symphony orchestra.”

The New Zeibekiko is performed at the Auckland Town Hall from 7.30pm on 18 March. Tickets are available from The EDGE.

ENDS

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