Kabarnos - A Prayer to Beirut (2020)
I'm not Christian Orthodox anymore, but I can't say I resent all aspects of the religious culture I was sort of raised in. Some of its artistic aspects are still to be noted- but I can't personally say that the Byzantine church music resonated as much with me until now.
Kabarnos is a contemporary singer from Greece who clearly works with up-to-date music production and marketing heads - I am not sure to what degree he may be ecumenical, interfaith, but at least that's how I'd like to interpret the statement behind this recording dedicated to the souls whose bodies perished in the Beirut explosion...
As such, the slightly rough edges of Byzantine singing are softened here, rounded with plenty of reverb - the atmosphere can be compared with some of the best Islamic music I listen to these days, both reflecting through an Abrahamic prism the desert environment... Both the vocalist and the occasional bells manage to avoid both lack of intensity and risking being too assertive. In less words, it sounds genuinely peaceful.