Alekos Vretos - Press

Eleftherotipia - 21/11/2005 (English Translation)

THE MUSICAL PASSION OF OUD VIRTOUOSO ALEKOS VRETOS. THE JAZZ OF THE MIDDLE EAST…. BY NATALI HADJIANTONIOU CLASSICAL PIANO IN ATHENS. AND THEN JAZZ COMPOSITION IN BERKLEE COLLEGE IN BOSTON WITH SCHORALSHIP. IN THE U.S.A., IN 1998, THE 30 YEAR OLD TODAY ALEKOS VRETOS WOULD DISCOVER THE OUD AND MIDDLE EASTERN MUSIC. JAZZ AND CLASSICAL PIANIST UPTO THEN, HE SAW THE OUD IN THE HANDS OF A FELLOW STUDENT AND HE WANTED TO TRY IT OUT. THAT WAS IT. DAZZLED BY IT, HE STARTED TO STUDY THE INSTRUMENT BY TAKING CLASSES WITH THE GREAT MASTER SIMON SHAHEEN. A VIRTUOSO ON THE INSTRUMENT NOW WITH CD RECORDING (“YUNAN” WITH THE MELITI ENSEMBLE) UNDER HIS BELT , HE MAKES LIVE CONCERTS ALL AROUND THE WORLD (LIKE THE ONE IN 18-12-05 IN 1000+2 NIGHTS). HIS OTHER ACTIVITIES CONSISTS OF HIM BEING ONE OF THE 16 SUPERVISORS OF THE MIKIS THEODORAKIS ARCHIVE THAT IS BEING DIGITALIZED IN THE ATHENS MEGARON. THE CHOICE OF MUSIC IS ONE WITH PERSONAL COST: A MUSICIAN PLAYING OUD IS HARD TO SURVIVE. BUT FOR ALEKOS VRETOS HIS CHOICE HAS BECOME A PASSION. BORN IN ATHENS BUT RAISED IN ARGOS HE TOOK HIS FIRST PIANO LESSONS THEREAND WENT ON TO “FILLIPOS NAKAS” CONCERVATORY IN ATHENS TO CONTINUE HIS STUDIES. IN BOSTON HE DISCOVERS THE OUD AND HE FOUND OUT ABOUT MASTER SIMON SHAHEEN IN NEW YORK CITY. “ I WENT THERE AND FOUND HIM. I STOOD IN FRONT OF HIM AND TOLD HIM TO TEACH ME THE OUD IN TWO MINUTES WE STARTED A RELATIONSHIP THAT IS STRONG TO THIS DAY. HIS NEXT TEACHER FOR THE OUD AND ARABIC MUSIC WAS A GREAT MUSICIAN FOR THE ARABIC WORLD, LEBANESE COMPOSER MARCEL KHALIFE. HE FIRST MET HIM AT AN ARABIC MUSIC RETREAT IN SPRINGFIELD. KHALIFE PLAYED A SONG CALLED “UMI” MEANING MOTHER FOR HIS FELLOW COUNTRYMEN. EVERYBODY STARTED TO CRY. “ I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND THE WORDS AT THAT POINT. THE SAME NIGHT I WENT TO MY ROOM I BROUGHT THE IMAGE BEFORE ME REMEMBERED THE MELODY AND STARTED TO CRY LIKE A BABY…”. THE PASSION OF ALEKOS VRETOS FOR THE OUD BECOME A PASSION FOR THE ARABIC MUSIC. WITH THESE MUSICAL “OBSESSIONS” HE RETURNED TO GREECE IN 1999. TWO YEARS LATER THE CHANCE OF A SIMON SHAHEEN CONCERT CREATED THE NEED FOR AN ENSEMBLE THAT WOULD PERFORM WITH HIM IN GREECE. THOUGH SHAHEEN NEVER CAME IN GREECE THEN, THE MELITI ENSEBLE WAS FORMED AND THE FRUIT OF THIS COLLABORATION WAS “YUNAN IN 2004. A MUSICAL JOURNEY INFLUENCED BY THE MIDDLE EASTERN MUSIC. THE MELITI ENSEMBLE NO LONGER EXISTS BUT VRETOS CONTINUES A LONELY CAREER. HE IS CURRENTLY PREPARING HIS NEW RECORDING WITH HIS OWN COMPOSITIONS AND THOSE OF SHAHEEN’S, HE IS ALSO TRYING NEW THINGS WITH HIS COLLABORATION WITH TIM WARD A COMPOSER OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC SEARCHING “ HOW TO BLEND NATURAL SOUND WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY WITHOUT INTERFERING WITH THE MUSIC. I ALWAYS WANT FOR THE MUSIC TO BE CREATED” HE EXPLAINS,” BY THE FINGERS OF THE MUSICIAN”.