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Just released by
Vassilis Hadjinicolaou
[The Blues of My Soul: Byzantine Sounds in the 21st Century]

A mosaic of old and new: the soul of old world Byzantine music, the spirit and feeling of new world blues. A dynamic new sound, giving deep-rooted traditional sounds a brave contemporary form, and contemporary sounds a daring new depth. The Blues of My Soul juxtaposes rhythms and sounds of alternating timbre with bold medleys of solemn Holy Week hymns of David, poignant ballads from the writings of Papadiamantis and the mystical Dervish poet Jelalledin Rumi, along with the Constantinopolitan fiddle of Socrates Sinopoulos and Irish bagpipes on Byzantine airs, culminating in a universal arrangement of Christ is Risen in five languages, an ideal finale for Byzantine Sounds in the 21st Century and the last shard in the mosaic of The Blues of My Soul.

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CD, with lyrics and liner notes in Greek: CAN$30 / US$25
For recordings of other Orthodox and Traditional Greek music
available from Alexander Press go to Music 2
Recordings of Byzantine Music in the New World from Vassilis Hadjinicolaou published by Alexander Press
Vassilis Hadjinicoloau has studied many aspects of music -- modern, classical, and traditional and Western and Byzantine -- both in his native Thessaloniki and Montreal in Canada, and has advanced degrees in composition, voice and choir direction. In his ten-years of artistic work in Montreal, Vassilis earned an enviable reputation in the Greek community there and throughout North America for his popular and critically acclaimed adaptations of Byzantine Chant, now numbering eight albums, for English-speaking communities. Upon his return to Greece in 1990, Vassilis worked with Dionysis Savvopoulos, one of the most important musician/composers in Greece, as pianist and orchestra conductor, and continues as an active participant in musical productions, recordings and concerts with renowned artists in the Greek musical scene. Vassilis has produced a number of praised albums of his compositions and arrangements, and is currently a cantor at the church of St. Andrew in Petralona, Athens.

The 8 volumes comprising the Byzantine Music in the New World project to date.

1. Byzantine Music in the New World 1
2. Byzantine Music in the New World 2
3. Byzantine Music in the New World 3 - Vespers 1 (Tones 1 and 8)
4. Byzantine Music in the New World 4 - Holy Week

The four-volume VESPERS series, presenting in English the complete cycle of Resurrectional (Anastasima) troparia for Orthodox Vespers in all eight tones of Byzantine Chant.
5. Vespers, volume 1: Tones 1 and 2
6. Vespers, volume 2: Tones 3 and 4
7. Vespers, volume 3: Tones 5 and 6
8. Vespers, volume 4: Tones 7 and 8
Byzantine Music in the New World

Byzantine Music in the New World I
Sung by the Choir of the Sign of the Theotokos Church in Montreal. Under the direction of Vassilis Hadjinicolaou. Byzanine chant and music for the first time in English.
Cassette $10.00, CD $20.00
Hear a sample (2MB)
 
Byzantine Music in the New World II
Sung in English by the Byzantine Chorus of the Sign of the Theotokos Church in Montreal. Under the direction of Vassilis Hadjinicolaou.
Cassette $10.00, CD $20.00
Hear a sample (2MB)
 

Byzantine Music in the New World III - Vespers I (Tones 1 and 8)
By Vassilis Hadjinicolaou. Byzantine chant and music in english. The first of the series of Vespers for the eight tones.
Cassette $10.00, CD $20.00
Hear a sample (1MB)
Byzantine Music in the New World IV - Holy Week
By Vassilis Hadjinicolaou. Byzantine chant and music in english.
Cassette $10.00, CD $20.00
Hear a sample (1MB)

Vespers, volume I:
Tones 1 & 2

Vespers, volume II:
Tones 3 & 4

Vespers, volume III:
Tones 5 & 6

Vespers, volume IV:
Tones 7 & 8

The four volumes VESPERS series, present in English, the complete cycle of Resurrectional (Anastasima) troparia for Orthodox Vespers in all eight tones of Byzantine Chant. The content of these hymns focuses on the Resurrection; they are sung at Great Vespers on Saturday evening which begins the liturgical cycle for Sunday, the day of Resurrection. In Orthodox liturgical tradition, each week uses one of the eight tones; the different hymns chanted during the weekday services are dominated by the particular tone of the week. In this way, the wisdom of the Church Fathers has created an amazing variety of sounds and texts which repeat in eight week cycles throughout the entire liturgical year. 

Price of each CD separately: $20.00
Price of set of 4 CDs: $60.00

 
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