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ODYSSEY

Programme created for the Göttingen Händel Competition

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In constructing a programme around the theme of Greek Mythology, it was important to us to also find a current perspective and not only to look into the past. Unsurprisingly, our thoughts were drawn to the refugee crisis and the many upsetting and unsettling events that are happening every day. 

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The idea of being uprooted and having to leave everything you know, all your worldly possessions, friends and family, and your homeland and start anew, is almost impossible to comprehend for those of us that haven't experienced it. And the thought that after all of that, there may be no better place waiting at the other end. With the theme of 'Hellas' and the connection to Greece we wanted to draw a connection and attention to this human experience and more concretely, the situation faced by those who made that harrowing journey and found themselves, at journey's end, at the Mória refugee camp in Greece. 

El Testament

The conception of this program began with the discovery of the Catalan folk song El Testament d'Amèlia. This song reads almost like a lurid tabloid: the young woman Amèlia knowingly drinks deadly poison mixed into her glass by her stepmother - the same woman with whom Amèlia's husband is cheating on her. Such a shocking conclusion begs the question: How did they get here? And so it was that we decided to tell the story of these characters, of what happens to them in life, to bring them to this point. 

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In many cultures, the most direct manner of storytelling is oral tradition: fairy tales, fables, ballads - and folk songs. Our narrative is built around Spanish and Scottish folk songs and traditional melodies, with the occasional Spanish art song thrown in for good measure. The Scottish folk song "Maggie I must love thee" is a recurring theme throughout the concert, reminding us of a supposedly idyllic childhood, the beginnings of youthful, innocent love and the course of our protagonist's fate.