A young woman wearing oversized studio headphones cradles a musical instrument more commonly seen in the painted scenes on ancient Greek vases. Her fingers dance across the strings with remarkable speed and grace. From behind the soundboard in the control room, a youthful man with long blond hair lets out a drawn-out “Nice,” before adding, “You nailed it.” The young woman breaks into a broad smile.
Speaking to Rosa Fragorapti on the phone, I find myself picturing that smile again – the one captured in the short video clip that has been circulating on YouTube in recent days. The Greek musician and musicologist has every reason to be delighted: Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” bears her imprint, too – or rather, that of both her and her ancient Greek lyre.
“Last winter I received an email asking whether I was available for a film recording session in London,” Fragorapti tells me. “They didn’t reveal the title of the film or any details about the production. Only when I arrived did I discover it was for Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey.’ I was completely stunned.”
“Normally, before I take on a new project, I ask to see the score because of the nature of the instrument. I need to know the music in advance to determine whether it’s actually playable – the possibilities are very different from those of a piano or a violin. Needless to say, they didn’t send me anything.”
