The Star & The Wish
Greek Music Review

Crete

Reviews of "The Star and The Wish" Greek Music Cd

"The Star and The Wish" by Evanthia Reboutsika

Enjoy the sounds of the Mediterranean in a great collection of 14 instrumental tracks and 1 song in this CD.

Greece, Egypt, Italy; they are all here.

Nostalgia, Love, Melancholy, Dreams, Wishes are here too.

Turn the lights off, sit back, close your eyes, relax, and let the music of this CD take your wishes to the stars.

Listen to Real Audio samples of this CD:

The Little Prince (o micros pringipas) Instrumental. Sample
Alexandria. Performed by Caroline Lavelle. Sample
Before darkness (ligo prin nyhtosei). Vocals by Sonia Theodoridou. Sample
Carousel. Instrumental. Sample
The Star and The Wish (to asteri kai I efhi). Vocals by Elli Paspala. Sample

* Read also the review by Birgit Schmidt *

The Star and the Wish. It has become very modern to release "Non-stress CD's", but who would have thought that it is necessary to make a non-stress CD with Greek music, as the Greeks - at least to us North Europeans - never look stressed? Even though the CD "The Star and the Wish" is such a kind of CD to me with its' wonderful music that doesn't sound Greek at all - and yet listening carefully.

The first melody, The Little Prince, reminds me of the mood I'm in when I go to Crete: Happy, light and full of expectations to the coming weeks, where I will be treated like a royal by the lovely Cretan people. The melody describes the trip to me.

Already the first tunes of the next song, The Sea after Sunflowers, have this very special tone, which you only find in the South of Europe. Strings and fiddles in a beautiful mix, describing the wonderful Mediterranean on a summer day. Everything is just calm, relaxed and very beautiful.

Alexandria. The name says it all. Now I'm definitely in the South hearing the special tone from the fiddlers. The singing is in English - the only track on this CD with lyrics - and it describes totally the sunny place and the happy feelings you have when you're there.

The next track is called "The Laughing of People". Here you clearly hear the smiles through the music, how happy people are just being together right now and right here. I just can't help smile back to the music.

But not everyone everywhere is always happy and smiling, which is heard in the next melody, From Time To Time. But it tries to pass on the happy feelings to you wherever you are in the world, although still remembering in a very quiet and proud way.

"A moment before night time" makes me remember the many beautiful Cretan sunsets I have watched. The feeling I have after a sunny and wonderful day. A woman sings the melody with such a clear voice, and as all Cretan sunsets it's short and finished to quickly.

"A short look" is a funny little melody, not as calm as the others, but still very describing. I can imagine people taking a quick glance at everyone passing them, not just because they are curios, just sincerely interested.

The track "The Inmost of You" is such a beautiful melody, and I'm convinced it comes from the inmost of the players and that they really are playing for the inmost of me.

We have now reached the melody "The Star and the Wish". Don't we all remember the many stars on the Cretan sky at night? And how easy it is to find a star that blinks and almost talks to you and you can't help wishing knowing that this special wish will come through.

"The Mysteries of the Moon" takes me very gently from the stars to the moon. The woman humming the melody is in total balance with the fiddle playing the tune. It really is the light moon travelling over the dark sky.

The melody "Carousel" tells about a happy mood, like slowly riding a merry-go-round with an orchestra playing in the background, prolonging the good feeling of the ride and taking you around the whole circus in a very gently way.

"Cine Rex" is just a sweet little tune. It takes bits from other melodies and put it together in a gently way. Again "Alexandria" is played, but now without lyrics. This time the lyrics aren't necessary, I have been here for so long so I now know what the melody tells me.

"During the rain" makes me remember that it's not always sunny in Crete. The melody is a bit melancholic, but only a bit. You can clearly hear the rain in the tune, and how good it is to the Earth.

The last melody is a reprise of "The Star and the Wish", a track I could hear again and again and again with this beautiful humming of the tune.

This is a CD I can recommend to every one - whether you a "Cretofile" or not. As I said in the beginning it's not typical Greek music. But when you know where the music is from it's not difficult to hear it after all. I think several of the melodies are old Greek songs, well known to every Greek, but Yannis must tell you more about that.