Such a Moon, the Thief Pauses to Sing

Since having met over a decade ago at Ross Daly's Labyrinth Musical Workshop in Crete, Peppe Frana and Christos Barbas are motivated by a mutual love of Ottoman classical music, and the maqam modal system. Being of Italian and Greek descent respectively, and each with prior training in Western conservatoires, the duo have approached this centuries-old musical tradition as relative outsiders. This album is the result of an ongoing process of learning, and consists of original compositions, largely in traditional structures (peşrev and saz semai) and free improvisations (taksim).

The duo's mastery of the art form is clear from the outset and exemplified on the maze of unison passages that run throughout pieces like ‘Zavil Saz Semai’. The soundscape is consistently stark – Barbas on ney (flute), Frana on oud and lavta – yet that never feels like a constraint, given how beautifully the two instrumentalists blend together. In fact, the absence of percussion creates added space for each composition to breathe, especially on the closing ten-minute piece ‘Bahar’, where overdubbed ney harmonies conjure an airy chant. According to the artists, the title of the album serves as an analogy, with Barbas and Frana being like thieves, who ‘steal notes of beauty from the moon’. However, judging by this debut recording, Barbas and Frana have immersed themselves in an ancient tradition with great respect, while at once making it their own.