INTERVIEW: Danaë Xanthe Vlasse honors her Greek heritage with ‘Mythologies’

Photo: Danaë Xanthe Vlasse’s new album is Mythologies. Photo courtesy of PHOTOGRAPHY AND STYLING by ROBERT HAYMAN / Provided by official site with permission.

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Danaë Xanthe Vlasse’s new album, Mythologies, was inspired by the composer’s own Greek heritage. Compositions like “Sirens,” “Poseidon & Odysseus” and “Penelope” speak to well-known characters from Homer’s Odyssey and stories from Greek mythology — stories that Vlasse has been hearing and reading her entire life. Joining the composer on this journey are sopranos Hila Plitmann and Sangeeta Kaur, and their hard work has paid off. Mythologies has been nominated for Best Classical Solo Album at the Grammy Awards.

“The love of Greek mythology is very integral to my upbringing because my father is Greek,” Vlasse said in a recent phone interview. “He’s from the island of Ithaca, and as a result, I’ve always known Greek mythology, in particular the Odyssey because that was the destination island of King Odysseus. And so I’ve always known about Homer and these great tales, and I think it captures imagination. Culturally, first of all, we have an obsession with superheroes in our world. While I myself don’t watch all the Marvel movies, I’m aware of them, and I understand the draw to that kind of narrative where the individual faces impossible odds. And the most common themes are divine intervention and the greatest human ideals, and eventually we prevail. There’s always a sense of hope and triumph, so I’m drawn to those stories.”

Mythologies follows Vlasse’s 2020 album, Poème, an album of songs in French that are inspired by poetry. That previous recording effort speaks to the other part of the composer’s heritage, and now Mythologies is a chance for her to connect with her father and his stories.

“In the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to make an album that would honor my Greek half,” she said. “I was diverted for a couple of years on a project called Poème, my previous album that came out last year, French art songs. It was a delight to do that, and it was an opportunity to cement some of the most critical professional relationships that I have and which continue today with soprano Hila Plitmann and pianist Robert Thies. That album was a celebration of my mother’s side of the family and my French half. I was born in France, so I still speak French. I feel very attached to that culture.”

Working on Poème taught Vlasse a lot of helpful information, and she built on that foundation for Mythologies. For example, she began a working relationship with Kaur on Poème, and then that collaboration continued with this Greek-inspired album. This connection with Plitmann and Kaur has been one of the best experiences of this recording process.

“It’s not always obvious to understand that two high, high, high sopranos like that are not divas, are not going to fight, are not going to be competitive,” said Vlasse, who serves as director of Music Vision Studios. “The assumption is always that there will be drama, and it was exactly the opposite. We met and just fell in love on a personal level, and then we looked at the music … creative bliss really.”

Vlasse, who has been honored by the Producer’s Choice Awards, Clouzine International Music Awards and Radio Music Awards, said she is attached to history and feels that there is much to learn when remembering the past, and the new album honors these ancient stories and some of the cultural touchstones of Greece and the western world.

“The Odyssey is a cornerstone of our civilization, so we have to respect that we’re imbued, whether we understand it or not, with those ancient ideals that have followed through millennia,” Vlasse said. “What it means to be human, what it means to have faith, what it means to be challenged, intellectually, physically. That relationship with the past is really important to me, so I was really eager to put it in the music. But I didn’t want the music to feel ancient. I wanted it to feel relatable, something attached to things to be recognized, so western harmony and recognizable instruments, flute and strings and piano and the voice that have been so established in classical music now.”

This honoring of the past and simultaneous respecting of contemporary sounds is what led Vlasse to have these compositions sung in English rather than Greek. She wanted the recording to reach the broadest possible audience.

“I just wanted to make sure that the music and the message would reach people, which is also why it’s in English rather than in Greek, which I did consider,” she said. “Especially now looking back on having Poème in French, I’m glad I decided to do Mythologies in English because as many people in the world speak French, there are even fewer that speak Greek. And I felt as though I really wanted this music to tell a story that would be more accessible to more people, across more ages and more life experiences.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Mythologies, composed by Danaë Xanthe Vlasse, is now available. Click here for more information.