Athos: A Journey to the Holy Mountain

Although Athos is like other Stephan Micus albums in bringing together instruments of disparate cultures and geographies in surprisingly organic ways, it stands out in his discography for being a direct response to one location. Inspired by a visit to the titular holy Greek mountain, its eight tracks are structured like a travel diary, beginning with “On The Way,” ending with “On The Way Back,” and evoking three days and nights in between. Influenced by Byzantine chant, he weaves choruses of 22 multi-tracked voices, marking other signposts along the way with Bavarian zither, flowerpots, and a bevy of wooden flutes.