Un’altra Grecia? Turismo e pratiche musicali nelle Isole Ionie

Abstract

This article offers some observations on the relationship between music and tourism in the Ionian Islands of Greece, a destination of great interest to the international tourist market. The phenomenon of tourism is analysed in an attempt to interpret the practices of multipart singing on the Ionian islands of Corfu, Kefalonia and Zakynthos. In this perspective, key concepts such as “authenticity”, “representation”, and “insularity” emerge. Among other elements, the issue of identity is problematised: what does identity mean? What are “social identities”? How are they constructed and interpreted? Two case studies are examined: the Andronìki women’s choir of Kato Garoùnas (Corfu) and the male vocal ensemble Tragudhistàdhes tsi Zàkythos (Zakynthos). These cases fit perfectly into the circuit of “revival” operations, albeit from two different perspectives: one for the purposes of “self-preservation” and “self-reproduction”, the other for professional purposes, linked to the logics of identity “reproduction” aimed, in this case, at “insular branding”.