Askitiki is inspired by Nikos Kazantzakis’ philosophical work of the same name. The piece explores an inner landscape: a continuous dialogue and struggle between opposing forces that coexist within every human being. It is a musical reflection on the polyphonic self—a multitude of voices, memories, fears, desires, and aspirations that shape our existence.
At the heart of the work lies the fundamental conflict described by Kazantzakis: two currents flow through our transient bodies. One ascends toward synthesis, creation, freedom, and life; the other descends toward dissolution, habit, materiality, and death. The tension between these opposing forces generates the dramatic and musical substance of the piece. Askitiki is both a cry of anguish and an invitation to struggle. It is a journey through conflict, transcendence, and self-discovery, culminating in the search for a freedom that lies beyond fear, beyond hope, and beyond the limits of the self.