In the dawn of spring

Dawn is defined as the time period from the moment when darkness begins to dissolve to the moment when the sun is up; when a hint of light glimmers in the deep darkness and nature can’t wait to wake up. The same happens to us, during the mournful, endless –one would say– days of the Holy Week; we can’t wait for the Resurrection, which glimmers, at times as a hint, and at times as a certainty. In the dawn of spring we hum songs while anticipating the “Sweet Spring” that will make our hearts blossom.

The voice as the perfect musical instrument, the qanun as the multistring canon of the East, and viola da gamba, the bowed lute of the West, are all coordinated in a sweet chant destined to offer consolation to the afflicted people of the bustling modern Babylon. A hug, a caress, and a kiss on a musical island of reflection in the midst of the stormy sea of everyday life. — Κ. Κ.

The concert features original compositions by Kyriakos Kalaitzidis with lyrics by Vassiliki Nevrokopli, as well as adaptations of traditional songs.

Programme

Semai in Third Mode. Music: Kyriakos Kalaitzidis.

Ah agapi – Ah Love. Arrangement of a melody by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736), part of the hymn book of the Maronite Christians of Lebanon - Verses: Vassiliki Nevrokopli.

Odiporia – Wayfaring. Suite with instrumental and vocal parts- Music: Kyriakos Kalaitzidis - Verses: Vassiliki Nevrokopli.

Ina ti efryaxan – Why do the heathen rage. Verses from David’s Psalm 2 in the decapentasyllabic metre of the Cretan dialect. Adaptation to libretto: Ioannis Froudarakis. Music: traditional Cretan tune.

Kyriakos Kalaitzidis

As a member of the En Chordais ensemble and as a soloist he has given more than 2,000 concerts in 45 countries at big festivals and leading concert venues: Sydney Opera House, Berlin Philharmonie, Paris Philharmonie, Lincoln Center (New York), Maison Symphonic (Montreal), Jeonju International Sori Festival (South Korea), Opéra national de Lyon, Hong Kong Concert Hall, Alte Oper (Frankfurt), Fès Festival (Morocco), Melbourne Recital Centre, Cervantino Festival (Mexico), Shanghai World Music Festival, etc. His compositions have been presented in concerts and are included in the albums Prosmoni, Exoria, To paramythi tis mousikis, Ta mousika taxidia tou Marco Polo (Prix de l’Académie Charles-Cros 2014). His PhD thesis titled “Post-Byzantine Music Manuscripts as a Source for Oriental Secular Music” has been published in English (Orient-Institut Istanbul / Ergon-Verlag, October 2012) and Greek (Byzantine Musicology Foundation, October 2020). He is an associate professor at the Department of Music Studies of the University of Ioannina and artistic director of En Chordais.

Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments “Fivos Anoyanakis” – Centre for Ethnomusicology

The Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments “Fivos Anoyanakis” – Centre for Ethnomusicology is situated at 1-3 Diogenous St in Plaka, next to the Roman Agora. It is housed in the historic residence of G. Lassanis –a prominent figure of the Greek War of Independence– that was built in the 1830s. The Museum was founded in 1991 to host the valuable collection of Greek folk musical instruments of musicologist Fivos Anoyanakis, which he himself donated to the Greek state. The exhibition extends to all three floors of the building and includes approximately 400 instruments from all the musical instrument families along with rich photographic, sound, and other type of material documenting the Greek music history of the last centuries. It also hosts a specialised Library and relevant Archives, accessible to researchers. The museum falls under the authority of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

First Sacred Music Festival info leaflet available to read and download here