MOIROLÓI: CoGNiMUS Collektiv Weaves Baroque, Renaissance, and Epirus Greek Laments

Cologne-based music collective CoGNiMUS presents, MOIROLÓI | A  Transcultural Lament, a unique live concert experience, based on Baroque and Renaissance music intertwined with Greek Lament from Epirus. Concert will take place on Sunday 17, November 2024, at St. Gertud brutalist church in Colgone. Seat reservations and pre bookings on www.cognimus.de/events.

MOIROLÓI delves into the traditional Greek lament of the same name - an exclusive musical form originating from the mountains of Epirus in Northern Greece. This genre becomes a poignant exploration of grief, its lyrical narratives addressing both the deceased and those who stay behind. 

In a harmonious fusion, moirolói is combined with various forms of musical lament of the so-called “western art music”, offering a transcultural approach to the universal themes of grief and the haunting echoes of mortality. 

”The project resonates with every voice within and around us, delving deep into our collective unconscious. By embracing death as an inevitable aspect of our destiny, we acknowledge its profound impact on every individual”, says Yorgos Ziavras, CoGNiMUS Artistic Director. 

“Thus, we seek spaces that facilitate both our own reconciliation and that of our audience with the concept of mortality as an intrinsic part of our existence: A celebration of life through a ritual of sorrow. In our pursuit, we aspire to confront the question of how our cultural contexts shape our perceptions and responses to this universal truth”, he adds.

The musical concept contrasts the polyphonic epirotica lamenti, moirolói being part of this genre, and monophonic elements of the baroque and renaissance art music, such as pieces by John Dowland and Henry Purcell. 

A group of five soloists from Greece performs in versatile ensembles vocal as well as instrumental variants of moirolói, whereas one singer and a continuo group, all of them being based in the NRW area, perform the baroque and renaissance music. 

An ingenious arrangement within the room makes all musicians merge to one versatile body of sound and allows the audience to immerse in the sound.

The brutalist architecture of the St. Gertrud church in Cologne – a place of cultural communication – offers unique spatial and acoustic conditions for an unforgettable concert experience.

Concert Information

MOIROLÓI | A Transcultural Lament

Sunday, 17 November 2024

St. Gertrud | 57 Krefelder StraßeKöln, (map)

Starts at: 16.00

Pre-booking: www.cognimus.de/events/ 

Contributors:

Katerina Chatzinikolau, violin

Kostas Tzekos, clarinet

Ptolemaios Armaos, guitar/lute

Panagiotis Ziavras, percussion

Marianna Nomikou, soprano

Rebekka Stephan, violoncello

Yorgos Ziavras, organ/continuo

“CHAONIA”, Polyphonic ensemble

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Credits

Concept: CoGNiMUS Collektiv / Yorgos Ziavras

Production: Katja Lasser, Rebekka Stephan, Jay Raissis

Communication: Jay Raissis