Two years after the devastating July 23, 2018, wildfires in East Attica that claimed more than 100 lives, French-Canadian songwriter and pianist Alain Lefevre is releasing a track inspired by the tragedy.

Lefevre, who has lived in Greece for the past few years, was “deeply touched” by the events of 2018, which compelled him to write “Mati,” named after the area that suffered the greatest losses.

“The fact that a small seaside village so close to Athens was engulfed by the fire that took so many lives, including entire families, touched me deeply,” said Leferve in a note ahead of the song’s release.

Part of the award-winning composer’s latest album, “Opus 7,” “Mati” also features Greek bouzouki soloist Thanasis Polykandriotis.

“The piece was initially written for piano, but I felt that something was missing. I needed a second ‘voice’,” said Lefevre of his collaboration with the Greek artist.

“As the piano embraces the bouzouki and the bouzouki the piano in a musical fusion, we get a harmony that transcends our musical backgrounds,” said Polykandriotis.

“Opus 7” will be released by Warner Classics in February 2021. “Mati” is available online at warnerclassics.com as of last Friday, while a part of the video clip is available on YouTube.

This article was first published on ekathimerini.com