Lucrece, the most virtuous wife in the whole of Rome, ignites an illicit passion in Tarquin, the king’s son. After being raped, entrapped in the contradictory ethical demands of her time, she kills herself. Her suicide triggers the expulsion of the kings and the establishment of the Roman Republic. This is the version of the story, as told in one of the most well-known European legends.
William Shakespeare’s narrative poem The Rape of Lucrece highlights the clash between modernity and the earlier, compact, medieval world that is falling apart: it portrays the struggle of the new, independent thinker against the outdated arbitrariness of the lords. The male world of the countryside, wars, and unbridled power is contrasted with the female world of innerness, negotiation, and ethical boundaries. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Lucrece, six musicians, two actors, and a choreographer collaborate to create a music theatre narrative, blending speech and movement with musical improvisations and scores from the late Renaissance, early Baroque, and the 20th century.
The musical performance Mórtissa ki Alánis explores the theme of conflict by portraying the clash between two archetypal characters from rebetikο (Greek urban folk song) mythology: the “mórtissa” and the “alánis”. In an effort to evade stereotypes, the aim is to investigate a profound inner existential conflict, the failure of establishing an “ego” capable of accepting “another” as an equal.
Intercultural influences, the introduction of new morals and behavioural styles in the closed Greek society of the inter-war period, along with the struggle against one’s gender and the self-definition of sexuality that are subtly present in many compositions of the time, inevitably lead to a conflict of interests, which actually originates from a profound, internal, non-dialectic conflict. The solution does not arise by bringing together the antitheses, but by exceeding them, through the acceptance of an authentic “Ego” and the self-defined “other”.
The musical piece SOMNIA PACIS: Dreaming Of Peace is a collective platform, where music and speech come together to expressively interact. Starting from war conflict and moving towards its gradual impact on individuals, communities, and eventually the world, the piece is an artistic search for peaceful coexistence. It combines both classical and traditional timbres, sometimes using complex and other times simple expressive forms. The narration sometimes complements and other times enhances the themes evoked by the music, maintaining a balance between the horror of war and the dream of peace. The collective vocal and rhythmic interplay with the percussion, accompanied by the narration, and complemented by the orchestral ensemble, which both follows the score and improvises, creates a cross-artistic tapestry. This tapestry not only aims to evoke emotions but also to stimulate the audience’s senses, and provoke them by introducing them to an unprecedented musical experience.