Eleni Karaindrou - Elegy of the uprooting Concert DVD (2008)

There haven't been many female film music composers throughout the history of film. This list is comprised of maybe 10-15 names, with the likes of Rachel Portman, Wendy Carlos, Jocelyn Pook, Lisa Gerrard and especially Eleni Karaindrou standing out. In fact, there aren't that many film music composers of either gender whose music can live outside the context of the moving pictures. On the other hand, there haven't been too much film music composers who actually went outside of the recording studios onto the performing stage with their film music. Morricone, Jocelyn Pook, Goran Bregovic, Michael Nyman are those that come to mind, and, of course, Eleni Karaindrou.

Mostly known for her work with director Theo Angelopoulos with whom she has worked for years, Karaindrou has scored music for more than 20 films and 40 theatre plays. Angelopoulos has said of her contributions to his work, "Eleni Karaindrou's music doesn't accompany the images—it penetrates the images, it becomes an inextricable part of the images. I would say it takes part of what is called anima, so, in the end, you can't tell one from the other—that's how closely knit they are... I believe that Eleni is at the moment one of the best existing film musicians in the world."

Elegy of the Uprooting —both the CD and the video—sums up Karaindrou's film work in a different setting—the live stage. Two years after the live CD was released comes the video accompaniment. This video was recorded at the Megaron, Athens in 2005 and it was a one-off event. Film music is usually written primarily to enhance the imagery but, every so often, the score is strong enough to stand on its own.

Karaindrou's music leaves plenty of space for her imagination to surface, which can project both sadness and serenity with equal conviction and intensity. Throughout the years, Karaindrou has been very successful because she was able to connect with the heart of the film and simultaneously, with the viewer. Like the folk music of her country, with which she is closely connected, it engages both the mind and heart.

Eleni Karaindrou treats a captivated audience to some of her most beloved compositions from movies that date as far as Voyage to Cythera until her recent work, such as Weeping Meadow and Trojan Women. The strength of her work lies in her sincere sense of spirituality and the gift for creating other-worldly harmonies that are threaded into opulent orchestral tapestries. On this live recording, her piano quietly blends with the delicately layered philharmonic sound on a seemingly endless stream of melancholy themes. Karaindrou deals with this heavy subject with the help of The Camerata Orchestra, conducted by Alexandros Myrat, the Hellenic Radio / Television Choir led by Antonis Kontogeorgiou, the Traditional Instruments Ensemble and Maria Farantouri, the vocal soloist, whose association with Karaindrou's music goes back to the early 1970s.

Regardless of the grandeur of 110 musicians in the background The Elegy of the Uprooting is an assured and subtle work. This DVD melts away any sense of time as there is a timeless quality, a patience and an ineffable beauty to this music.

Personnel

Maria Farantouri voice
Vangelis Christopoulos oboe
Socratis Sinopoulos Constantinople lyra, laouto
Maria Bildea harp
Konstantinos Raptis accordion, bayan
Sergiu Nastasa violin
Renato Ripo violoncello
Stella Gadedi flute
Nikos Guinos clarinet
Sopcratis Anthis trumpet
Spyros Kazianis bassoon
Vangelis Skouras French horn
Aris Dimitriadis mandolin
Christos Tsiamoulis ney
Panos Dimitrakopoulos kanonaki
Andreas Katsiyiannis santouri
Andreas Papas bendir, daouli
Eleni Karaindrou piano
Hellenic Radio and Television Choir
Antonis Kontogeorgiou choirmaster
Camerata Orchestra
Alexandros Myrat conductor

Tracklist

Prayer
Refugee’s Theme
The Weeping Meadow
Dance
An ode of tears
For the Phrygian land vast mourning
By the Sea
Depart and Eternity Theme
Rosa’s Aria
Memories
Hecuba’s Lament / Hecuba’s Theme II
Telamon, you came to conquer our town
The city that gave birth to you
was consumed by fire
An ode of tears
Theme of the Uprooting I
The Weeping Meadow II
Voyage
Voyage to Cythera
On the Road
Parade
Return
Andromache’s Theme
The land I call home
Home of my forefathers
I wish I’m given There
Refugee’s Theme
The Seagull
Song of the Lake
Adagio – Father’s Theme
In vain the sacrifices
My beloved, your soul is wandering
Decision
Farewell Theme
Theme of the Lake
Hecuba’s Theme II
Lament for Astyanax
Exodos
Hecuba’s Theme II
The Weeping Meadow
Song of the Lake


Recorded March 2005
ECM New Series 5506