Aemata

An expressive and captivating vocalist, Maria Farantouri is prominently featured on Mikis Theodarakis' Aemata. Farantouri commands great respect in Greek pop, and the singer turns her attention to Theodarakis' melodies with splendid results on this 1997-1998 date. Only on "Evening" does Theodarakis sing; it is Farantouri's vocals that enrich "You Held the Black Face," "I Will Speak Your Name," "I Had Three Lives," and other haunting Theodarakis compositions. The German Peregrina label has printed the lyrics in no less than four languages (Greek, German, French, and English), and readers will see that there is a very poetic quality to the lyrics that Senghor, Yannis Theodarakis (Mikis' brother), Kostas Karyotakis, and others have provided for Theodarakis' melodies. But while it's nice to know what Farantouri is singing about, it isn't necessary. You can feel the richness of this music even if you don't speak a word of Greek. ~ Alex Henderson|