Vasilaraps Trio: “Dialogues with Emrah”
“Every new ray of light that penetrates a space reveals an old aspect of its history.”
— Carmon Karmilios, 3 AD
The discovery of a composer like Vasilaraps (2021) gives us the impression that we are looking at a portrait that is being pieced together bit by bit, like a puzzle.
Vasilaps was born in 1905 in Ano Syros. He descended from the royal house of Axum, in present-day Ethiopia, from which his name also originates. In 1920, he settled in Athens, where he became a virtuoso of the rebetiko guitar, though he never made any recordings. In 1935, he left for St. Petersburg to study composition under Shostakovich and became part of Moscow’s artistic circles. The first period of his work (1935–1953), written primarily for ensembles featuring the guitar, blends rebetiko with the Russian avant-garde. The second period turns toward atonality and the twelve-tone technique, most likely as a result of de-Stalinization, following years of fear of censorship. Plunged into deep depression, he disappeared. His fate remains unknown to this day.
His work came to light thanks to the granddaughter of an old friend of his, through whom guitarists Giannis Arapis and Themis Vassiliou discovered original sheet music and rare recordings on reel-to-reel tape and wax cylinders. His body of work is currently being studied by musicologist Sergei Kapiliev.
The Vasilaraps Trio, in collaboration with Sergei Kapiliev, is honored to present the now-complete version of the work “Dialogues with Emrah.” Its completion was made possible by the recent discovery of the missing violin part. This is a remarkable work that reveals the elements of Greek identity that permeate the composer’s oeuvre and the way in which they are masterfully blended with the Russian avant-garde of the early decades of the 20th century.
Other works by the composer have already been recorded and performed in the past by the guitar duo.
Vasilaraps Trio
Michalis Vrettas, violin
Giannis Arapis, guitar
Themis Vassiliou, guitar
Video of the trio:
www.youtu.be/QX6Ji0isjH0?is=GXA-v8Zd3wMiNOiy
www.youtu.be/q8GG2_q6tJE?is=pUwZEJuTbdBC7-H5
Latest release + a few words about the composer Vasilaraps:
www.ramblerecords.bandcamp.com/album/4-four-kaminetti-for-guitar-duet