Psarantonis (Antonis Xilouris) is one of the most well-known lyrists of Crete. He was born at the mountainous village of Anogia, in Rethimno, Crete in 1942 and he is brother of late Nikos Xilouris, also a very famous Greek musician and singer.
He is a very special figure of Cretan music, known for the unique timbre of his voice and his very distinct way of playing the lyre and other traditional instruments.
http://https://youtu.be/uShAPsmPM1M
Starting from a young age, Psarantonis apprenticed in music by his older brother Nikos. His first public appearance was at a wedding at the age of 13. Very soon he became popular by playing at gatherings and folk and religious festivals around Crete.
In 1964, he recorded his first 45 record. He was a delegate of Greek music in numerous festivals abroad. His first participation in a music festival was at Cologne, former West Germany, in 1982, organized by the TV channel WDR. In 1984, he played in Berlin, at the festivities for the 750 years from the founding of the city. In 1989, he represented Greece at the “Journée des cinq continents” in Zurich and Amsterdam and in 1999, he returned at the same festival, in Martini this time, where he got remarkable reviews.
http://https://youtu.be/clqCd4xaWKY
2005 saw him playing at New York’s Town Hall for the 20 years of the World Music Institute. In 2007, he was the first Greek musician to perform at the “All Tomorrow’s Parties” rock festival hosted at Minehead, UK. Two years later, “All Tomorrow’s Parties”, curated by Nick Cave, invited him to Sydney and Melbourne.
Psarantonis’s lyre is now showcased at the “World’s First Global Musical Instrument Museum” at Phoenix, Arizona, where a video of him playing is also shown.
Psarantonis
Friday, 30 October 2015 | 20:00 CET
Passionskirche | Marheinekeplatz 1 | 10961 Berlin/Kreuzberg
