2024-06-07 10:23:05
Final 12 months, the Onassis Basis Home and Grammy Award-winning producer Christopher King launched a competition that obtained worldwide approval for redefining the folks music of Greece and the southern Balkans as an ever-evolving, dynamic course of.
This 12 months, this exploration continues, delving into the roots and offshoots of this music all through Greece and the broader Balkan area. The three-day “Why are the mountains black ’24: The musical cultures of the southern Balkans”, which is able to happen from June 28 to 30 on the Home of Hamkos in Konitsa, with the cooperation of the Municipality of Konitsa, additionally focuses and illuminates the indeniable function that the Roma communities and their artists had – and nonetheless have – within the creation of this music.
From the legendary 78-turn gramophone “information” of folks songs from Christopher King’s assortment to musicians and dancers from Greece and the Balkans, screenings of movies by Viktor Gjika and Nikos Ziogas and workshops open to the general public, the three days of “Why sure black mountains ’24’ aspires to be an immersive audio and visible expertise that may rework those that watch it.
Music bands and singers from throughout Greece, Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Croatia have been invited to the competition to carry out and current their music, together with dancers who will accompany them. There has additionally been particular take care of cooperation with dance golf equipment of Epirus. For every day of the occasions, Christopher King will give a brief presentation, based mostly on business recordings made between 1913 and 1958, drawn from his private report assortment. As well as, on the primary two evenings of the three days (Friday and Saturday) there will likely be a screening of a movie associated to each the area and the music. These screenings will likely be framed by installations by each Christopher King and the administrators and their kinfolk.
Christopher King envisions a public program that may proceed to deepen our understanding of the musical cultures of Greece and the southern Balkans. He believes that music will not be a static, homogeneous factor, however as an alternative a fancy, evolving human phenomenon that has no boundaries, and that tradition and historical past could be understood by the lens of music.
This system
This system is as follows:
Friday 28 June (20:30–23:30): Christopher King will open the competition, enjoying thematic 78-turn information of male polyphonic music from Albania, a uncommon recording of pipizza, clarinet music from a southern Albanian gypsy band, different 78s, whereas additionally describing the context of the music of this primary night.
Then Grupi Lab, six polyphonic singers from the area of Liapuria in Albania led by Golik Jaupi, and Ilias Kakarukas along with his band from Agrinio (three Roma musicians, accompanied by members of the Competition Affiliation “Ai Symios” will carry out “).
This will likely be adopted by the screening of Viktor Gjika’s black-and-white dramatic movie “Gjeneral Gramafoni”, which tells the story of a proficient clarinetist and a gaggle of musicians, who’re pressured to cease enjoying conventional Albanian music in favor of the favored Italian fascist songs of the time. The movie takes place through the interval of the monarchical rule of Albania beneath King Zog, who ultimately capitulated and handed over the nation’s sovereignty to Italy. Forewords by the director’s daughter Ester Gjika and Christopher King, with Dimitris Dalla translating.
Saturday 29 June (20:30–23:30): Christopher King continues the narrative of the three-day competition, enjoying 78-rpm information from Croatia, North Macedonia, Thesprotia, in addition to different 78s.
The baton will likely be taken by Adam Semijalac and Fige with Croatian conventional “teasers” and choir, and the brass band from the Prespa space in North Macedonia Nova Prespa Band with musicians from Epirus Pano Skuteri and Albania Aurel Qirjo.
The second day’s program concludes with the screening of the lyrical documentary “Enthymion | An ode to Epirus” by Nikos Ziogas. In “Ethymion” we’re transferred to Giromeri in Thesprotia on Easter days. By way of the cinematographic lens we turn into observers of the on a regular basis life and folks of this small village and search for the roots of a particular customized. By way of songs, phrases and sounds, its few inhabitants attempt to preserve traditions and legends alive, and to proceed life even after its finish. A recording, not solely ethnographic, of a customized whose origins are misplaced in time, the place the colour movies of the previous mix with the black and white current and the sounds of the clarinet echo by the stones, mountains and faces. the director and Dimitris Chrysomallis foreword, with Dimitris Dallas translating.
Sunday 30 June (20:30–23:30): Christopher King closes the three-day narrative, enjoying 78 rpm information from Macedonia, Bulgaria and different areas. Alkyone will carry out dwell with conventional Greek songs and dreamy fusion from Macedonia, in addition to the quartet of virtuosos within the gypsy Roma from southwestern Bulgaria Samir Kurtov.
Entry will likely be free on a first-come, first-served foundation.
And a lab
“Why are the mountains black” additionally features a workshop on conventional Croatian singing with the Fige Choir, which is able to happen on Saturday, June 29, at 11 am, within the Outdated Market Sq..
The viewers and members will be capable of perceive and conceptualize the weather of Croatian conventional tune, and extra particularly its vocal and melodic construction. The aim is to start the method of studying these songs.
The workshop will start with a quick presentation of the Fige Choir, its historical past, working strategies and repertoire. It is going to be adopted by a dwell efficiency of two conventional songs from Croatia: their origin, the traits of the areas they arrive from, presentation of conventional costumes and the occasions at which these conventional songs had been sung. This will likely be adopted by a presentation and dialogue in regards to the which means of the tune lyrics and an interactive tutorial on studying conventional songs for these excited about collaborating.
Length: 90-120 minutes | Language: English and Croatian, with Greek translation. Declaration of participation within the hyperlink