Sacred Harmony

Evocative, tender and uplifting, this lovely collaboration between brothers Theodore and Jordan Koumartzis and Thanasis Kleopas harnesses the spirit of healing through music that the ancient Greeks always believed the lyre contained. Two ancient lyres, a modern upright electric bass and the delicate voice of Thanasis combine in their poetic songs to create a restorative balm for the modern world’s stresses, a sense of antiquity merging with a widescreen contemporary production. With a history going back nearly five millennia, the lyres as played by virtuosos Theodore and Thanasis sound like finely played acoustic guitars at points and with Thanasis’ otherworldly vocals reminiscent of Milton Nascimento on his 1973 album Milagre Dos Peixes, the result is an understated and deeply affecting experience. The aptly-titled Sacred Harmony may be released via a cultural institution but their songs are powerful and rich in longing, the nearly forgotten past welcomed to the present.