Hellenic Dance for Two Violins and Viola

Hellenic Dance was initially commissioned by a violist friend of the composer, Yiannis Vatykiotis, who was at that time the violist of the Hellenic Trio. The first work on the piece was done in 1970, using as material Greek modes and rhythms. At the very beginning, it very clearly uses the Phrygian mode. The piece sometimes moves to other modes, but the Phrygian mode is very prominent. The form of the piece is clearly A-B-A, in which the B section is slower than the A. The piece keeps fast tempos at the beginning because of its virtuoso, colorful and rhythmic nature.

This version of the piece was commissioned by the Baton Rouge String Trio, who premiered it in 1970.