Aliki Markantonatou: Connecting China and Greece through music

In the National Gardens of Athens, the soft morning light falls on a figure dressed in red, playing the ancient Greek lyre. Aliki Markantonatou is a Greek lyre player who is both a member of the all-female ensemble Lyre 'n' Rhapsody and a teacher of the ancient instrument. Markantonatou credits the lyre with not only enriching her musical life, but also giving her opportunities to connect with many Chinese musicians and friends.

Aliki Markantonatou (Photo/Patrick Shead-Simmonds)

The ancient Greek lyre is a stringed instrument dating back to at least the fifth century BCE. It was widely used in classical Greece for education and poetry. According to Greek mythology, the god Hermes created the first lyre using a tortoiseshell. Markantonatou's first encounter with the instrument was at a workshop, where the organizers were attempting to recreate it after more than 2000 years. "It was a love affair for me," she remarks. "The lyre has a warm, earthy sound, and its flexibility in tuning makes it easy to create an ensemble."

Markantonatou's musical journey with China began in 2015 through a collaboration with the critically acclaimed guzheng virtuoso Chang Jing and flutist Zhang Di. At the time, she was already part of Lyre 'n' Rhapsody.

The performances they shared online opened the door to a musical collaboration with Chang and Zhang, which culminated in an album called "AEGEAN."

Looking back on the process of recording the album, Markantonatou recalls that she was initially nervous about meeting Chang and Zhang. However, as soon as they played together, everything began to flow. Each of them would introduce a theme, while the others would respond through their music. In five days, 20 pieces were recorded, with the best 10 chosen for the final album. "It really was like automatic writing," she remarks.

The following year, Markantonatou and her collaborators went on tour to China. She recalls being struck by the scale of China, where everything from buildings to train stations seemed so grand in comparison with her life in Athens.

Markantonatou and her collaborators performed three concerts. "The main festival we were invited to was the Lishui Festival," she recalls. "The concert hall was filled with an audience who were very respectful. After the concert, some children also came up to us to ask for autographs." She also gave a lyre lesson to a young man, with whom she remained in touch and continued to exchange ideas afterwards on WeChat.

During the tour, Chang and Zhang introduced Markantonatou to several contemporary Chinese musicians. "Their music is free-spirited, and they are very good at creating musical dialogue," she shares. "Meeting them helped me to go one step further in my approach to music."

Markantonatou is captivated by the simplicity, openness, and meditative character of traditional Chinese music. "It is like a narrative," she remarks, "it allows you to breathe musically and gives you the freedom to paint." She compares performing traditional Chinese music to painting with one's own colors. From the guzheng and guqin to the xiao and pipa, Markantonatou credits her appreciation of Chinese music to her collaborators. She keeps a xiao in her home in Athens, which was given to her as a gift by her Chinese friends.

Markantonatou believes Greece and China have so much in common, particularly in terms of music and culture. Previously, she worked on a comparative project exploring ancient songs and poems from the two countries. She found that many of the poems shared similar meanings. "One poem by Li Bai describes the autumn leaves falling on the ground to signify a feeling of loneliness," she shares. "Another ancient Greek poet also expresses the feeling of solitude through the changing of the seasons." She hopes to see more exchanges between China and Greece through music and poetry.

For Markantonatou, "Music is a powerful tool for humanity to connect. It does not take long for this connection to occur. The moment you start playing with other people, you already begin to feel their emotions."