Biography
Panta Rhei, an ensemble rooted in Belgium, updates longstanding Eastern European musical traditions through contemporary approaches. Drawing material from numerous nations and heritages, the musicians rely on their arrangements and technical command to maintain unity across the program. French publication L'Express observed, "From Rumanian to traditional Flemish songs, from Polish folk music to English jigs, from the French Valse Chinois to Swedish melancholy, Panta Rhei proves with complete logic that good music knows neither period nor frontier." The December 1995 edition of the Paradoxe newsletter highlighted the ensemble for "providing us with the most original and also the most daring musical exploits of these last several years."
Steve Houben, a performer on jazz flute and saxophone, and Luc Pilartz, a specialist in traditional folk violin and bagpipe, jointly originated the project. In 1993 the pair assembled players representing varied cultural and stylistic origins to establish Panta Rhei, selecting the name from the phrase attributed to Heraclitus of Ephesus, "panta rhei kai ouden menei" (all things are in a state of flux and nothing is permanent). Following rehearsals throughout November 1993, the group produced a demonstration recording and began touring across Europe. Its first full-length release, Hopa!, appeared in February 1995 and earned placement on year-end top-ten lists issued by Flemish magazine Gandalf and Dutch magazine Newfolksounds. Folk Roots characterized the recording by noting, "At one moment you feel you are at a Romanian village wedding, the next listening to a chamber music concert, the next at an exhilarating Irish session and so on; yet the album has a wonderful sense of rightness and flow."
A shorter disc, Tiganeasca - Julia Delaney's, arrived in January 1996. Later that year the French label Buda Musique handled international reissues of the earlier recordings in October. The ensemble's next album, Passchendale Suite, came out in November 1996; it documents a collaboration with British a capella trio Coope, Boyes & Simpson captured during the peace concert held at Passchendale in September 1995. The current lineup, in addition to Houben and Pilartz, comprises violinist Aurelle Dorzee, violoncellist Kathy Adams, diatonic accordionist Didier Laloy, guitarist Pascal Chardome, double bassist Jo Vanhouette, and percussionist/vibraphonist Stephan Pougin.
Steve Houben, a performer on jazz flute and saxophone, and Luc Pilartz, a specialist in traditional folk violin and bagpipe, jointly originated the project. In 1993 the pair assembled players representing varied cultural and stylistic origins to establish Panta Rhei, selecting the name from the phrase attributed to Heraclitus of Ephesus, "panta rhei kai ouden menei" (all things are in a state of flux and nothing is permanent). Following rehearsals throughout November 1993, the group produced a demonstration recording and began touring across Europe. Its first full-length release, Hopa!, appeared in February 1995 and earned placement on year-end top-ten lists issued by Flemish magazine Gandalf and Dutch magazine Newfolksounds. Folk Roots characterized the recording by noting, "At one moment you feel you are at a Romanian village wedding, the next listening to a chamber music concert, the next at an exhilarating Irish session and so on; yet the album has a wonderful sense of rightness and flow."
A shorter disc, Tiganeasca - Julia Delaney's, arrived in January 1996. Later that year the French label Buda Musique handled international reissues of the earlier recordings in October. The ensemble's next album, Passchendale Suite, came out in November 1996; it documents a collaboration with British a capella trio Coope, Boyes & Simpson captured during the peace concert held at Passchendale in September 1995. The current lineup, in addition to Houben and Pilartz, comprises violinist Aurelle Dorzee, violoncellist Kathy Adams, diatonic accordionist Didier Laloy, guitarist Pascal Chardome, double bassist Jo Vanhouette, and percussionist/vibraphonist Stephan Pougin.
Albums
Singles
