GREECE • KOUMPANIA XALKIAS

The folk music of Epirus, in northwestern Greece, is indispensable at all festive events. Musicians play at weddings, baptisms and village fairs. The clarinet is the emblematic instrument of Epirus. Its dramatic expression and virtuosic playing are captivating. Koumpania Xalkias is a family group spanning three generations. Its repertoire is immense, responding to the demands of listeners, they alternate with brio between funeral lamentations, slow and intimate dances, pieces with breakneck tempi, and table songs evoking love and exile.