Planh: Western and Eastern Medieval Hymns and Laments

The early music ensemble Ex Silentio under the direction of Dimitris Kountouras presents a programme dedicated to the multifaceted relations between East and West, drawing on material from religious and secular traditions. The characteristic secular motet Lamentatio sanctae matris ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae by Guillaume Dufay, on the subject of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453, whose text combines Latin Gregorian chant with a medieval French chanson, is juxtaposed with the corresponding Byzantine lament by Manuel Chrysaphes), a setting of a Byzantine psalm that symbolically refers to the same historical event. Period instruments and captivating medieval hymns from France, Cyprus and Armenia make up a multicultural musical tapestry.

Programme

Garun
hymn, traditional Armenian

Hymn for Saint Hilarion
from the Codex of Cyprus (15th c.)

Victimae paschali laudes
sequence (11th c.?)

Guillaume Dufay (1397?‑1474)
Ave maris stella (1448)

Tonakar
hymns, traditional Armenian

Saint Marina
hymn, medieval traditional Cypriot

Planh (Lament)
improvisation on the psalm "Jerusalem et Sion," sequence from Liber Usualis

Guillaume Dufay
Lamentatio sanctae matris ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (1455)

Manuel Chrysaphes (1440-1463)
Lament for the fall of Constantinople (15th c.)

BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Ex Silentio

The ensemble Ex Silentio specialise in early music performance and often perform authentic programmes of historical interest such as The Troubadours in the Kingdom of Thessaloniki, Guillaume Dufay between Byzantium and the West etc. They often appear in international early music festivals, under the direction of their founder and flautist Dimitris Kountouras, such as Via Mediaeval (Mainz), Festival Mousiké (Bari), Styriarte (Graz), Banchetto Musicale (Vilnius), Händel Festival (Gӧttingen), International Early Music Festival (Riga), Festival Marco Fodella (Milan), in the concert series of St Ruprecht (Vienna), as well as in Megaron – The Athens Music Hall, Athens Epidaurus Festival and GNO Alternative Stage. In 2018, they presented the rare Codex of Cyprus in Nicosia, in concerts and lectures in collaboration with the A.G. Leventis Foundation. Ex Silentio have recorded 5 CDs with Carpe Diem, Talanton and Nefeli records. They are Ensemble in Residence at the Athens Conservatoire.

Dimitris Kountouras

He specialises in period flutes and music up to the 18^th century while he teaches at the Ionian University and the Centre for Early Music (CEM) of the Athens Conservatoire of which he is also the coordinator. He studied recorder, baroque flute and early music in Utrecht, Milan, Vienna and Trossingen, and holds a PhD in Musicology from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He has performed in concert halls and festivals across Europe, the Middle and Far East such as Sala Verdi (Milan), Pablo Casals Hall (Tokyo), Vienna Konzerthaus, Megaron – The Athens Concert Hall, Blumenthal Auditorium (Tel Aviv), Bahrain International Music Festival etc. He is the founder and director of the ensemble Ex Silentio which presents rich international activity, and he organises the concert series Ostrium, Days of Medieval Music. He has collaborated with Harmony of Nations Baroque Orchestra, Camerata – Armonia Atenea and Vienna Symphony Orchestra. He has published studies and essays on the topics of history and performance practice for TIBIA, Brepols, Nefeli, Orpheus etc. editions.