Argatia Ensemble
music from the Black Sea
"We embark on this journey from the mythical musical shores of Pontos (Black Sea), the land of the Amazons where Jason and the Argonauts journeyed in quest of the Golden Fleece, with the aim of reaching the hearts of our audiences. Drawing on the unique sonic character of each instrument in our band and on the tradition each one represents, we build a distinctive sound that keeps evolving into new avenues."
ARGATIA is...
"Argatia" means collaboration and solidarity between people. It was the practice of mutual exchange of free work among Greek farmers in Pontus (Black Sea). Though not practiced in Greece anymore, this social form is still alive among the Pontic-Greek speakers of contemporary Pontus in the eastern Black Sea shores of Turkey. Echoes of the spirit of Argatia can still be heard in our folk songs, despite decades of superficial “modernization”.
Our musical Argatia aims at creating solidarity bonds among people and to remind us the importance of arts and collective action in times of crisis. The Pontic-Greek music is a very special form of music art with unique sonic, lyrical, rhythmic and emotional features. We are inspired by the centuries old musical sounds of Pontic-Greek music masters as well as by contemporary creations.
Our love for the dialectic Greek folk songs, our deep belief in their promising future and our experimental spirit, are our guides in our fascinating musical exploration.Our repertoire is constantly renewed not only by new songs but also with new instruments, ideas and collaborations. Our band performs songs mainly in Pontic-Greek, a dialect of Greek that combines elements from classical and medieval Greek. We also present songs in languages and by people who lived or still live around the shores of the Black Sea such as Armenian, Laz, Turkish, Georgian and Bulgarian.
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