HYDRAION: In Praise of Water

Water is the world’s most vital substance, essential for all life on earth.

This concert is dedicated to our respect for it, that we will not pollute it, over use it or misuse it. The health of us all depends on it. This  ancient wisdom heard in the texts of Homer, Diodorus and Hesiod, frame original luxuriant sounding works by internationally renowned composer/performer Ros Bandt.

She has created this site specific programme especially for ANIMART here in Hydra (the name derived from the Greek word for water), a reference to the natural springs on the island) together fascinating underwater recordings, new works on environmental themes of endangered birds together with the ancient myth of Hydra though her metamorphic instrument the tortocopus, the ancient Greek Lyre coupled with a mbira octopus.

Historical flutes, ancient texts, percussion and goatbells will dissolve in this watery wonderland ending in the words for water in many languages, calling for us all to work together to care for this precious and endangered substance, WATER.

 

Ros Bandt: Environmental sound artist, composer / performer (www.rosbandt.com)

With Arthur McDevitt, Ancient Greek Texts

 

PROGRAMME

CALL TO WATER: water bowl and chain

 

READING 1. HOMER, The Odyssey 9.79-81 (And now… Kithera)

 

1. SIBYLINE PREDICTIONS FOR WATER recorders / aulos,

Improvisation on Canto de la Sibilla, Cantorei Palma de Majorca, 14^th century

 

 

READING 2. DIODORUS of Sicily, BOOK IV. 11. 5-6 (Second labour of Herakles)

 

2. HYDRA in HYDRA / Ros Bandt

The magical supernatural powers of the tortoctopus, (Lyre, Mbira), help to fight one of the labours of Herakles played out in the nearby marshes of Lerna. The transformative powers of the radially symmetric microscopic aquatic organism, the Hydra, is at the front of medical research today, sometimes called the microscopic octopus. Underwater hydrophone recordings of polyps, elephant sharks eating, whips and fire.

https://hearingplaces.bandcamp.com/track/hydra ** 6’ 48’’

 

3. EDESSA REJOICES / Kassia. 9^th century

Pythagorean Recorder, Byzantine Hymn text and Edessa waterfall soundscape * 3’ 34’’

 

4. FROM A GOOD ROOT / Kassia. 9^th century text / recorder

 

5. PELECANUS CRISPUS (Aργυροπελεκάνος), the threatened Dalmation Pelican.

In praise of the northern Greek, Life Prespa Waterbirds conservation programme saving this vulnerable bird. They have a wing span of over 3.2 metres and are one of the world’s heaviest flying waterbirds. They rely on the sensitive wetland meadow habitat on the small Prespes lake which harbours the most Dalmation pelicans in the world. Prespes air, slide whistle, underwater lake recordings, lyre, feathers.

** 2’ 18’’ air / 4.00 water.

 

6. GOATS, TRAGOUDIA / Ros Bandt. The shepherdess finding food and water, habiouli, goatbells and goats in the Lefka Ori, Crete. Mindful man/nature relationships. * 3’ 28’’

Tarhu Connections https://hearingplaces.bandcamp.com/track/tragoudia-i *

 

 

READING 3. HESIOD, The Works and Days 757ff. Don’t Pollute

 

7. WATER DREAMING. International plea for water care recorded in the Yerebatan Justinian water cistern. Words for water in many languages dissolve in the watery harp sounding corridors with a live hydrophone feed of the fish swimming during the performance. Renaissance tenor recorder and electro-acoustic symphony for water. * 6.37.  

* Hear it again on the Europeans soundscape map http://map.europeanacousticheritage.eu/ros-bandt-water-dreaming/

 

* electro-acoustic components

** world premiere