Скачать или смотреть The Fish and the Leaf | for baritone, female choir & percussion | Fanis Zachopoulos

The Fish and the Leaf (2016)
for baritone | female choir | percussion
composed by Fanis Zachopoulos
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"The Fish and the Leaf" is a piece about love. A strange love. The story tells about a fish that lives alone in a river until, one day, a leaf falls from a tree which is hanging above the river while the Fish falls in love with the leaf since the latter's resemblance to a fish. And their adventurous story unfolds!

The piece consists of three musical "roles": Baritone, Female Choir and Percussion. The structure is based upon the ancient Greek drama (Tragedy, Comedy). One fundamental element is the musical dialogue that runs through the piece between the soloist (Fish) and the choir (*the use of the choir is conceived to be directly related to the ancient Greek Horos a group of people, actors/singers that represented the "common sense", commenting on the story, suggesting, advising etc).

Based on a story made by Mirna Marjanovic.
Text adjustment into verse by Fanis Zachopoulos.

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[The starting chorus part encloses a small verse written by the Greek philosopher Heracletos:

-Ψυχῇσιν θάνατος ὕδωρ γενέσθαι, ὕδατι δὲ θάνατος γῆν γενέσθαι, ἐκ γῆς δὲ ὕδωρ γίνεται, ἐξ ὕδατος δὲ ψυχή.

Translation: For the souls, death is to turn into water,
for the water, (death is to turn into) earth (soil),
from the earth is turning into water,
from the water is turning into soul.]

Text

Part One

Horos: Psichisin thanatos ydor yenesthe,
ydati the thanatos yin yenesthe,
ek yis the ydor yinete,
ex ydatos the psichi.


Fish: My eyes are watching
the leaves on the branches
that sway all above me
through a watery mirror

Horos: Sway leaf above the river!

Fish: That river encloses me
with a sweet blue stagnation
but you break the silence
and you start to move

Horos: Run, run, follow the leaf!

Fish: For days I follow
your fading shadow
which leads me and leaves me
alone, in a darker blue sea.

Horos: Alone, alone...

Fish: The darkness surrounds
my heart that is tremoring
from fear that I might
never see you again.

Horos: Alone, alone...

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Part Two

Horos: Being underwater
circles are created
on the surface
by the heartbeats.

Fish: The night has fallen
while a boat is approaching.
I'm its pray for tonight,
forlorn and despaired.

Horos: Forlorn and despaired

Horos: The fisherman reaches
the land and he chooses
the fish from the net;
Fish: I'm thrown, for I'm small.

Horos: Breathe, breathe!

Fish: The sun is now burning
my hopes and I'm trying
to reach for the water,
I hardly can breathe.

Horos: But merciful Neptune
who rules all the waters
is surging the waves
for the leaf to emerge.

Fish: My body is shrouded
by you and I'm smiling,
I'm happy no matter if
I live or I die.

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Baritone: Bas Ammerlaan
Choir_
Sopranos: Anna Skarphéðinsdóttir, Elise Van Etten, Veronika Akhmetchina, Susanne Dirksen
Altos: Annavala Olafsdottir, Agnieszka Chabowska, Klara Elwenspoek, Rinske Bosma
Percussion: Alexis Makatselos
Conductor: Jurrien Sligter
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Sound recording & mixing: Dimitris Froudakis
Video: Yorgos Kyvernitis

Utrecht's Conservatorium | NL | June 12, 2017