Eleni Karaindrou has made her reputation working with Greek instruments and musical forms for theater and move pieces, and this can only add more luster to her burgeoning reputation.
Trojan Women is a series of short, impressionistic pieces, mostly instrumental, although some feature a chorus. Working on a play that's Classical, her choice of Classical instruments makes perfect sense, while her sense of form, working in such confined time strictures, is dense and demanding -- while still managing the remarkable balancing act of leaving plenty of space in the sound. In other words, it's atmospheric, and fits in very well with the ECM esthetic. The question of how successful it is as a free-standing piece of music is a different question. By it's nature, there's little development and movement in the pieces, which simply stand as short sketches. But accept it for what it is, and you have something wonderful. ~ Chris Nickson