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The
repertory of PolyPhonia includes works from the Middle Ages (Perotin, Vitry,
Machaut, Landini), as well as contemporary music, but has a special focus upon
renaissance a cappella music. Concerning the latter, the ensemble has
interpreted many composers from early renaissance music to early baroque: Dufay,
Binchois, Ockeghem, Obrecht, Josquin, Willaert, Lanier, Encina, Palestrina,
Janequin, Isaac, Leontaritis, Lasso, De Monte, Gesualdo, Villiers, Gabrieli,
Hassler, Banchieri, Marenzio, Monteverdi, Frescobaldi, Cavalli and Schütz. An
important mission of PolyPhonia is the premier recording of the complete works
of Franghiskos Leontaritis, the only known Greek
composer of western renaissance music. The focusing of the ensemble on F.
Leontaritis' work resulted in the recording of its first
CD, released in special edition on FM
Records (March 1997) in Europe and the USA. The CD received critical
acclaims by the international early music magazine Goldberg
and reliable Greek magazines and newspapers. The second CD
containing Leontaritis’ works was recently released (February 2001) on the
same label and has already received critical
acclaims by the most reliable greek music magazines. Note that PolyPhonia is
the first Greek vocal ensemble which records western renaissance music.
In
the context of a CD-series presenting Greek Classic’s
masterpieces, members of the ensemble performed poems by D. Solomos, set to
music by N. Mantzaros and N. Kotrokois, under the overall artistic direction of
the distinguished tragedienne A. Synodinou. The CD was produced by the
Holy Monastery of Koutloumousi, Mount Athos (October, 1998). It is the first
time a CD produced by a Greek Orthodox Monastery contains western music.
The
ensemble, under the direction of N. Kotrokois, has given concerts
in Italy and Germany
and numerous concerts in Athens and other places in
Greece.
They often perform together with distinguished soloists of
organ and period instruments. Attempting, also, to present in
parallel western and eastern music of the same period, they have a collaboration
in regular basis with musicians specialized on byzantine chant. The
future plans of the ensemble include more concerts in Europe (Belgium,
France, Germany and
Italy) and the USA. PolyPhonia has a collaboration with the Greek National Radio, on which the ensemble has made several live broadcasts. Such a broadcast took place in the Orthodox Cathedral of Athens (January, 1998), where PolyPhonia and the noted Greek Byzantine Choir of Lycourgos Angelopoulos interpreted Leontaritis and Byzantine melodists, respectively. The ensemble and their director have also appeared on the prize-winning cultural programme "Plus and Minus" of the National Television (NET).
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