Threnodia
ISMN : 979-0-2325-7744-9
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Threnodia, the Greek word for threnody, derives from the ancient Greek verb threomai (θρέομαι), which translates into screaming out loud but also into trembling, being agitated, or upset. Threnodia is a compound word, consisting of the word threnos (Gr. θρήνος, meaning wailing), and ode (Gr. ωδή). It is interesting to note that ode, can be translated either as a song or as a hymn, signifying the cultural stance of the ancients when mourning the loss of a loved one: dignified, proud, in a spiritual acknowledgment of something greater than the human terrain. Lastly, the lexeme thr- , igniting a family of Greek words, indicates unremitting noise, a kind of whisper or murmur but also an uproar. As a word game, the lexeme thr-, was the inspiration behind my decision to compose, in 2024 – 50 years after the Turkish invasion to Cyprus – three works that would serve as odes to all the human souls lost in wars, irrespective of territory and time, and to those who are left behind mourning. Threnodia is the first out of this three works, a sound ritual, in which the cellist is in a constant dialogue with his instrument, as if two human souls in conversation, both eventually unfolding into multiple entities in a universal lamentation-hymn for the victims of all wars, the lost homelands, the childhood innocence being robbed and for those who are forced to live with injustice and destruction. The work has been commissioned by the 23rd International Pharos Chamber Music Festival, and it is dedicated to the Artistic Director of the Festival, cellist Alexander Chaushian, who is giving its world premiere in May 2024, in Cyprus.
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