In Corybas, Psathas blends the complex rhythms of Eastern European dance music into a highly dynamic and playful work for piano trio. Corybas is the first of two companion works for piano trio that Psathas wrote with the Mediterranean in mind; the second being a calmer, more serene ‘postlude' to this work, Aegean. The piano drives much of the forward movement in Corybas by holding a repeating odd-metered groove while the string parts fall in and out of this texture. The strings build momentum throughout by fusing together their melodic lines with the piano's groove, offering short syncopated accents and uniting for dramatic and thrilling phrases. All of this makes for an exhilarating addition to piano trio repertoire.
John Psathas is a New Zealand freelance composer and teacher who, at a relatively early stage in his career, has established an international profile and receives regular commissions from organisations both in New Zealand and overseas. His works are championed around the world by a growing number of leading international artists, one of the most consistent of whom has been the Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie. Initially making a name for himself as a composer of high-energy percussion music, more recently the composer has concentrated on a series of larger-scale concertante works. A major career highlight to date has been the commission to compose the ceremonial music for the opening and closing of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. In 2005 John Psathas was created an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to music.
