Search - Savina Yannatou, Primavera En Salonico :: Terra Nostra

Out of this world!!

Sakis | San Diego, originally Greece | 04/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Greece's Savina Yannatou is a free spirit, and you can tell that by how effortlessly and how carefree she interprets all these songs in this album, which is a live recording from Club Sfendona in Athens, some songs she just takes off and uses her voice like an instrument, at times the effect is startling and unsettling, and other times it is accentuating very well the flow of the songs. Savina's voice has no boundaries. The album starts with a greek lullaby-like song called "Me to feggari perpato" (i.e. "With the moon i walk"), it's a mellow yet dreamy piece, on the second song we go into a much more vibrant and energetic Bulgarian song "Ivan Na Donka Dumache", i absolutely love how the song climaxes and the music instruments lift you up! The third song is the beautiful "Fairy's Love Song" which is one of the best in the album as well, starting off all slowly yet having it's peaks at the end, truly mesmerizing. "Ballo Sardo" is a Sardinian song that was in her "Songs of the mediterranean" album and it gets the improv. treatment and it is sung faster than the album version which actually makes it even more interesting here. The 5th,8th,13th and 15th and 17th songs are collaborations with Lamia Bedioui a Tunisian vocalist who delivers a more eastern or arabic flavor to the mix. Some other highlights for me in this amazing album are also the Spehardic songs "Los Bilbilicos" "Jaco" and "Tres Hermanicas eran" which are very upbeat and the orchestration is literally perfect in my opinion, showcasing both Savina's high soprano abilities and also showing us the beautiful improvisational capabilities of her band. "Los Bilbilicos" plays like a beautiful belly dance eastern sounding song with Spanish lyrics that just made me wanna get up and start dancing. This is a MUST for any world music fan who wants to broaden their horizons with new and interesting world music. The CD (the greek version which i own) has translations to all the songs as well as well as beautiful pictures from Savina's appearances. Savina doesn't dissapoint. Needless to say i am taking a trip from Boston to New York City in mid April to go see her perform Live. I wouldn't miss her performance."

Meditarranean & Sephardic Musical Dreamscapes

Erika Borsos | Gulf Coast of FL, USA | 09/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Savina Yannatou & "Primavera en Salonica" provide unique interpretations and musical dreamscapes primarily from the Meditarranean, Spain, and the Middle East. Other lyrics & melodies on this CD originate from Bulgaria, the Hebrides, Guadalupe (Caribbean island), Provence, and an Italian Renaissance tune. Besides the voice, the music is skillfully improvised and interpreted on the oud, guitar, tamboura, kanoun, accordion, violin, nay, percussives and double bass.It is Savina's voice that is most remembered, for it is incomparably beautiful. It is ethereal, evocative, and from a higher realm. My favorite selections are the ones which express soulful, passionate longing and nostalgia. It is the songs from Greece, Lebanon, and the Sephardic tunes which are most memorable and appealing to me. Especially spine-tingling & emotion-laden are the Greek traditional songs, "With the moon I am walking" from the island of Kalymnos and "I've told you and I say again" from Asia Minor. Two other selections which makes this CD such a magnificent treasure are the soul-searching hymns "Glory to the Word of G-d", from the Marionite tradition of Lebanon (lyrics in Aramaic) written in the 4th C. by St. Ephrem, and "Wa Habibi" ("Beloved"), from the Orthodox Arabs' Church, also in Lebanon. At times the music is infectious and playful, other times meditative and introspective, at times energetic and spiralling, other times haunting and spiritual. This CD will appeal to anyone who loves creative expression and exploration of traditional music which remains true to the original musical phrasing ... Erika Borsos (erikab93)"

Cream of the international crop!

J. Alexander | Southern California | 08/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album represents a combination of two great things- the EMI label, and Savina Yannatou. Everything I've heard from EMI so far has been outstanding- quality music, fantastic recordings, quality packaging, etc. But back to Ms. Yannatou. She is a true gift to the music world, a musician's musician. Boasting a strong musical savvy, technical ability, familiarity with a number of genres and regional styles, and a haunting voice, she (with the amazing help of Primavera en Salonica, which she formed) has put together an album which is truly mind-blowing. SOme of the tracks are lilting and pristine (especially Fairy's Love Song, With the Moon I'm Walking) some are energetic, some are, for lack of better terms, strange (a friend, after hearing the album, said of some of the songs: "I didn't know the human voice could do that!") but always wonderful. An engaging trip through the Mediterranean and surrounding areas. If you're looking for something beautiful, here it is. If you're looking for something different, look no further. I know that many of the reviews on this site are exaggerated, and I may have indulged in a bit of hyperbole, but it's worth it."