Cyprien Katsaris pf

Melism 

A disc of Greek piano music might seem like niche fare, but with a pianist of the stature of Cyprien Katsaris behind it, the result is transfixing.

Yannis Papaïoannou’s 24 Préludes (1958/9) exudes the obvious influence of Debussy and Katsaris’ warm-toned Bechstein suits this music well. There is more than a hint of Puck to the fourth Prélude, Danse, while the sixth is a homage to Ravel, memorable for its mournful, slow counterpoint. No prizes for finding a Debussian echo in the title of the ninth Prélude, ‘Miss A. J. Eccentric’ (she’s less full-on than Pickwick), but it is the tenth that fascinates harmonically: ‘Le Lac’ – a mysterious lake evidently located on an imagined border between France and Greece. Katsaris’ performances are stunning. If I hesitate to see this as quite the masterwork Katsaris claims there is no doubting his fierce advocacy.

Yannis Constantinides’ Eight Dances from Greek Islands are impeccably region-specific. Katsaris adapts his sonority to suit this music’s more direct mode of delivery. Finally, Dmitri Levidis’ First Greek Romantic Sonata, a work in the Austro-German tradition, its eight-minute duration attesting to its laudable terseness. Katsaris revels in the virtuosity as much as the lyricism. A real discovery to end a very stimulating release.