For performances of VITA NOVA by Calliope Tsoupaki

‘One of the strong sides of the piece is the perfectionism with which everything is executed. The formidable performance of the singer… she performs everything by heart - sings and speaks in perfect Italian and English. Also remarkable are her noble red haired image in the beautiful costumes and the manner with which she identifies with her role…’/ Trouw (NL)

‘Ayelet Harpaz performs all roles in the opera with an expression that is constant, sad and serene…’/NRC (NL)

‘The dark and deep timbre of singer Ayelet Harpaz was fully exploited.’/ Haagsche Courant (NL)



For the CD of The Thing Like Us by Yannis Kyriakides

‘ ...once again [Kyriakides'] hybrid of electronics and shrouded texts has an inscrutable quality that relies heavily on the influence of the unsaid. Based on texts by Baruch Spinoza... Kyriakides sets out to explore how the 17th century Dutch philosopher’s concepts mirror our own emotional responses to music. His barebones ensemble of voices, harpsichord, percussion and electronics is deployed with cool detachment, a hook that allows Kyriakides to plant within the music subtle graduations of suspense and momentum.’ / The WIRE

‘Kyriakides’ composition is parallel to Spinoza’s vision of the emotions - it is a continuous stream of sound… the dark nasal voice of Ayelet Harpaz gives Spinoza’s Latin a mysterious side, which is assisted by the singer's modal medieval melodies…. The music keeps with Spinoza’s scientific detachment from the emotions, and has something serene and majestic. It develops with a subtle tension… and creates true moments of the darkest and deepest beauty’ / NRC (NL)

‘This is [Kyriakides'] most accomplished release to date as a composer... Kyriakides brings a rich vein of Byzantine folk and an impressive working knowledge and experience of today's electroacoustic improv to bear on compositional problems. His word setting is as articulate and elegant as the texts he sets... and the performance and recording is just as impressive. Check it out.’/ Paris Transatlantic (F)

‘A joy for music lovers who look for something extra’./ Rifraf (B)

‘Definitions with which to catalogue this product and describe the beauty of its composition do not exist. The CD forsakes sound in the traditional sense and embraces a context in which the different aspects of art (visual, vocal and sonar) blend and compliment each other like in a masterpiece.’ / Music Club (I)

For performances of a conSPIracy cantata and tetTIX by Yannis Kyriakides

'...vocalist Ayelet Harpaz gave a chilling and decidedly Delphic account of numbers, words and phrases, which would surely have baffled any spy covertly tuning in.'/The Independent (UK)

'... the refreshing and original composition tetTIX ... It is an enchanted world of sounds. As if you where lying on a bed somewhere in Italy, and a dragonfly was about to enter your ear, but then just flew away. The call of crickets is heard, and with it the sound of a machine further up the street. A siren (the woman) sings her plaintive seduction, nearby and then further away. Simply Beautiful.'/ Trouw

'...a smile that spreads on our face with the sudden recognition is replaced by curiosity, when the sharp sound of the insect is taken over by the voice of the singer Ayelet Harpaz. A seamless interchange of this kind between artificial and human sounds is rare... a conspiracy cantata was the central work of the evening... through these recordings and the hypnotizing voices... Kyriakides feeds the audience with a message that is both intriguing and disturbing. Although the singers voices were recognizable, the meaning of their words was unintelligible. Mystery and sounds were made captive, but not unveiled'/ Eindhoven Dagblad (NL)



For the CD of a conSPIracy cantata and tetTIX by Yannis Kyriakides

'...The music sustains an intense and unsettling atmosphere...Conspiracy cantata is surely a classic in the making.'/ The WIRE

'... ‘tetTIX’ pitches furious insect buzzing alongside a drum machine and Diamanda Galas style howling and wailing. A fascinating, atmospheric listen...'/ FluxEuropa

'tetTIX combines recordings of various insects chirrupping with drum machines... with a voice that sings tones in a sliding moan. Swinging through phases of high activity to the voice and a ticking alone, and back, getting jazzy at times, a diverting combination of natural and synthetic... a complex but rewarding experience./Ampersand

'SPI is a thoroughly creative and well executed piece, complex and clever, with a strong and suggestive mood, recorded and mixed with admirable clarity...
The final piece, titled 'tetTIX' ... complex and broken rhythms from the drum machine are mixed with a wordless moaning from the voice of Ayelet Harpaz and the buzzing of insect sounds... this final piece is surprisingly rhythmic, and really rounds the disc off well, moving from spoken text and radio waves to complex harmonics and then to more rhythm-based electronic music. An excellent debut, inventive, accomplished, intense and highly recommended./Incursions.org



Other reviews

'Ayelet Harpaz improvised fluently on a well structured 'Stabat Mater' like a young contemporary Cathy Berberian.'/ NRC (NL)

'... ‘Affectio’ is a mysterious and controlled performance. Singer Ayelet Harpaz recites Latin texts by Spinoza and lights more and more hanging candles... Kyriakides’ work was thereby the most surprising part of 'The Night of the Unexpected'./ Volkskrant (NL)
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