EOTHINON / Groeibriljant for string quartet

March 11 2023 – 15:00
EOTHINON in Korzo during (UN)Heard Music Festival
Performed by Matangi Quartet

The world premiere took place on May 2013 by the amazing Matangi Quartet at Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ

Calliope Tsoupaki: “My string quartet Eothinon (Εωθινον), refers to the power and mystery of life, which is miraculous and indestructible. Life that continues to grow in the darkness along our perception, expectation, control, consciousness. Musically, I use a short melodic bud that keeps on growing and blooming and coming to a halt again.. The composition has no real end, the melodies that keep making a blooming cycle return to the stillness from which they will begin another cycle.”

Read the four star review at the Volkskrant 13/05/2013
By Frits van der Waa

“The composition of “Eothinon” (= Dawn) started during autumn, grew during seven concerts with two minutes each concert and was accomplished at springtime.”

The Matangi quartet accomplished a crystal clear interpretation of the organic “Growing-brilliant” (Groeibriljant) by the Greek/Dutch composer Calliope Tsoupaki.
The composition lasted for seven concerts, and seven different string quartets have given to each other the gradually growing relay race.
It started with a fragment of two minutes, that was extended with extra minutes after each concert.
The idea is originated by the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, as well as the title “Growing-brilliant” (Groeibriljant). After the completed version , which was performed by the Matangi string quartet last Wednesday, the Greek/Dutch Tsoupaki made the composition totally hers by giving the title “EOTHINON”
That means “Dawn” but according the composer there are more interpretations, among them also “bloom”.
You can hear the organic aspect of the piece for sure : but you cannot detect the joints in between the sections.

EOTHINON develops from a simple melodic seed, and sounds slightly oriental because of the use of specific modes. The microtonal deviations, glissandi, en subtle “filthiness” brings Tsoupaki a wondrous fusion of beautiful and conflicting sounds.
At the same time there are continuous meeting points in between the four instruments in the form of etherial harmonics and in octaves played melodic lines….