M'arreter ici - Esquisses d'Asie Mineure

Suggested by the great Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy, "M'arrêter ici..." recounts the stories of these Asia Minor communities driven by a desire for elsewhere or tossed about by history, in search of a place to put an end to their wandering. For this recording, Dominique Vellard and Ourania Lampropoulou focused on the Orient, and drew inspiration from the cultural diversity found in the late 19th century Smyrna. They have selected music from the Greek, Sephardic and Ottoman traditions. As a tribute to this rich heritage, Dominique Vellard has composed three melodies for voice, oud and santouri, all of which naturally inscribe in the historical repertoire.