A Visit to Ross Daly at the Labyrinth

In September we reviewed a marvellous concert that took place at the Dam of Rivers, a few kilometres South of Rethymnon. Ross Daly and friends provided us with a fantastic evening of traditional Cretan music. As many of you will know already, Ross Daly is a virtuoso performer of Cretan and Arabic instruments. He is also an internationally renowned composer, ethnomusicologist and artistic director of the Labyrinth Project which has its ‘physical base’ in the village of Houdetsi, South of Heraklion. Throughout the year Labyrinth is host to various workshops and seminars which bring together some of the finest performers of Eastern modal music. Labyrinth is also home to Ross Daly’s collection of over 200 musical instruments, some of which are extremely rare. Last month we paid a visit to Houdetsi and had the privilege of being guided through the collection by Ross. Luc and I (Kate) extend our heartfelt thanks to both Ross Daly and Kelly Thoma for generously taking time out of their busy schedules and for the warm welcome we received when we visited.

The Labyrinth Musical Instrument Collection

The musical instrument collection is housed in a beautifully restored building that at one time was the summer villa of a perfume merchant from Heraklion (this in itself gives the place a special feel that is very different to any conventional museum!). The collection is mainly geared towards stringed instruments, but there are a number of percussion and wind instruments too. Broadly speaking the geographical range stretches from the Balkans to the Far East. Each of the musical instruments has its own special story: How the instrument was made, what it was made from, where it was made and the sound that it makes – these are all things that can tell you about people’s lives in different places in different times. On the other hand, whilst each instrument has its own unique characteristics, the overall ethos of the collection emphasises interconnections (rather than disparities) between cultures, and how music manages to cross boundaries. For example, Ross told us that mulberry wood has frequently been used by many cultures to make stringed instruments. Mulberry wood seems to be particularly suited for this purpose: it gives a good sound, it doesn’t tend to rot, and it is resistant to insects. You’ll find similarities in musical forms across diverse cultures that have made instruments out of mulberry wood. It also so happens that the food of the silkworm is the mulberry leaf, and the path and progression of the Eastern modal form can be linked to the ancient Silk Route followed by traders travelling between Europe and China.

In line with the philosophy of Labyrinth the collection is much more than a static display of artifacts. Many of the instruments you will see are also those you will hear being played at concerts - and as some of these instruments are extremely unusual and come from faraway places, this in turn brings new musical experiences to many audiences and helps to build links. Ross is clearly passionate about keeping music alive and helping it to evolve. One of the most moving aspects of the visit to Labyrinth for us was when he told us about his work restoring the Afghan rababs in his collection. In order to stop these instruments from being destroyed by the Taliban, they were often buried underground and later smuggled out of the country. By the time they reached Ross, many of them were in pretty poor shape. Ross has spent a great deal of his time lovingly trying to repair the damage so that they can be brought back to life.

Finding out More

The Labyrinth collection of musical instruments in Houdetsi is generally open every day from 10 am to 3 or 4 pm. However, bearing in mind that the Labyrinth is also a venue for performances and seminars and that there are occasional staffing issues, if you are planning a visit it is best to ring in advance. The phone number for the Labyrinth Workshop is + 30 28107 41027.
The village of Houdetsi is near Archanes, and is approximately 20 kilometres South of Heraklion. It is not far from Knossos, and is in the heart of ‘wine growing’ country. So there are plenty of ways in which you could combine a visit to Labyrinth with a tour of other attractions in the area for a grand day out!
You can find more information about Labyrinth online (including a discography and details of up and coming concerts and seminars) on the www.labyrinthmusic.gr and www.rossdalymusic.com websites.
Labyrinth is a unique and valuable facility and the Bugle team feel extremely fortunate that it has its base here on Crete. As many of you can probably imagine, though, keeping the Labyrinth Project going is a challenging enterprise. Funding issues, local bureaucracy and trying to win hearts and minds in the local community have all proved problematic at one stage or another. We encourage our readers to try and support the project in any way you can. And once again, many thanks to Ross and Kelly for making sure we had such a wonderful day.