AMETHYSTOS ( THE SOUND OF CRETAN VINEYARDS ) - YIANNIS KALOMOIRIS

Composer's notes

This album realy express a  part of myself, one that springs from childhood and, as if by its own will, continues to now: my love for the vineyard and for wine. Not so much as a matter of profitable cultivation or product, but as a part of civilization from antiquity to the present, and as a way for communion and connection. As this relation and feelings used to create sounds inside me for years,  time has come for them to find their musical expression, through this seven new compositions. This is “AMETHYSTOS"  the sound of  Cretan Vineyards for lute and percussion.
 The inspiration behind this work, comes from back to my childhood experiences with grapes, the grape harvest and wine-making in my grandfather's Yiannis Kalomiris vineyards in Anogia Crete, combined with my relation and knowledge about wine in our days. Back in those years, the 1970s, there were quite a few vineyards in this historic town where I was born and raised. Thus, the grape harvest, the transport, the foot pressing of grapes to make wine, childrens laghter and the strict supervision of olders, built memories and left colors and flavors inside me that now have been transformed into musical images and melodies.Names and melodies of these musical pieces are linked to the characteristics of each grape variety as they uniquely express themselves in the glass: the dark Mandilari, the exotic Liatiko, the golden Plyto, the ancient Romeiko, the arid vineyard (Xeriko), and Dionysus who oversees and guides them. They all come together to welcome Amethyst, the only song in this collection, which describes the effort and pride of the people of that time, their struggle for life—usually under tough sircumstances . The Dionysian instrumental epilogue in Amethystos song, suggests that life becomes better with a glass of wine at the end of the day.  The very old relationship between humans and wine is both cultural and existential. We drink wine because every great story starts better with a glass of wine. So, if we consider life as a beautiful story, then the best way for it to begin is  friends to keep clinking glasses of wine, toasting to our health, and enjoying the sharing of life.
I owe a great thank you to my dear friend and excellent musician Panagiotis Katsikiotis, who gave a special color and rhythm to the melodies with his percussion and added a Mediterranean aura to the whole sound. I also thank Nikos Venetakis very much for his wonderful interpretation of Amethyst.
Many thanks to my friend, Dimitris Vasmaris, an exceptional musician and sound engineer, for his valuable help and collaboration in the recording, sound processing, and the final audio result.
A great thank to my dear friend Christos Giannakos and "Xotaris" Art Gallery for their support. 
Finally, a great thank you to Andreas Aerakis and the music label “Kritiko Mousiko Ergastiri – Seistro” for their trust and for publishing this work.

Heraklion-Crete
September 2025
Yiannis Kalomiris