Galan Trio – Embrace

Recent, consonant, melodic music that doesn’t get too syrupy. That’s the excellent thing about this release from the Neuma label, accustomed to avant-garde and experimentation. Surprising, but satisfying, in these times of global chaos that plays with our nerves.

The Galan Trio hails from Greece and is made up of Babis Karasavvidis on violin, Marina Kolovou on cello and Petros Bouras on piano, with the addition of flutist Zacharias Tarpagkos. The result is an engaging and highly enjoyable journey through evocative and beautifully lyrical scores, where the contrasting but complementary styles of the instruments involved capture and hold our attention throughout the programme.

The short journeys on offer take us to Greece in front of a Parthenon bathed in light, to a magical forest in China, to the shores of a lake in Russia, to the streets of Paris with a jazzy spring in our step, and then all sorts of other attractive panoramas. If you want to get back in touch with today’s music without imposing an intellectual and sonic headache on yourself, without lapsing into simplistic ease either, this album will give you great satisfaction.