Projects

Inspired by Constantin Cavafy’s poem Ithaca, this programme invites us to consider the journey as a destination in itself. The “Ithaca(s)”, whether real or inner, become the substance of a musical voyage in which every step matters as much as the horizon.

Daphné Souvatzi unfolds a singular world at the crossroads of Baroque and Mediterranean music, shaped by an instinctive and deeply sensory approach. Her singing is rooted in the languages, landscapes, and light of the South, from Greece and Cyprus to the shores of Asia Minor. Monteverdi and Marais enter into dialogue with the Mediterranean traditions that nourish her imagination. Alongside guitarist Sébastien Giniaux and double bassist Chris Jennings, the encounter with jazz opens up a space of freedom where early music is reinvented. Between composition and listening, memory and movement, music becomes a living territory.

“Ithaque(s) is a journey. A journey through the memories, languages, and landscapes that inhabit me. With Sébastien Giniaux and Chris Jennings, we make the journey itself our destination, allowing the music to guide us wherever it wishes to go.”
– Daphné Souvatzi

From the meeting of Daphné Souvatzi and François Aria emerged a radiant and distinctive musical adventure, where classical singing, flamenco, and Mediterranean traditions come together in a single breath. Inspired by Carl Sagan’s Cosmic Calendar, this programme approaches music as a journey through time. As a duo, or joined by musicians from the worlds of Baroque and traditional music, the artists explore the resonances between centuries and Mediterranean cultures. Arias by Monteverdi, Charpentier, and Rameau enter into dialogue with songs from Greece, Cyprus, and the Black Sea, carried by the colours of flamenco and contemporary harmonies. Each piece becomes a fragment of time, an echo from ancient worlds resonating in the present. A music of thresholds, suspended just before midnight, between memory, fervour, and immensity.

“What moves me about this music is that it seems to tell the same story in different languages. With François, we are less interested in bringing different styles together than in revealing the hidden resonances that connect them.”
– Daphné Souvatzi