Sumiglia
By merit of its geographic locale, Athens is still a crossroads even if its cultural significance is, for the most part, long past. Thus it should come as no surprise that Greek singer Savina Yannatou would take an interest in different folk music styles. Here on her second ECM album, the traditional music of her homeland, Corsica, Eastern Europe, Palestine, and other places is presented with an almost classical music's sense of drama, purpose and precision. Yet Yannatou, who did study Baroque and Renaissance performance, takes her richly expressive voice and voyages through open-ended interpretations of the folk musics created by the versatile Primavera En Salonic, which uses both Western and Eastern traditional instruments. She sings in the appropriate language to the accompaniment, but the lyrical translations are telling – thematically speaking, she’s drawn to material sung by women, literally creating her own version of sisterhood that is equally arresting to the music. Wholly modern and urbane, yet traditional and folksy, Yannatou has found a rare and special balance. --Tad Hendrickson