Dinu Ghezzo, Project Director

July 7-12, 2003

Constanta, Romania

 
A Multimedia collaboration of:
Voyages of Aeneas: The Thracian Lost Letters
 
An OLEG DANOVSKI Dance Co. multimedia production, in collboration with IED (Istitutto Europeo di Design) Rome, New York University Composers Ensemble, and UCI (Univ. of California, Irvine) Dance Department.
 
Based on poems by Christine Ghezzo, Tom Beyer and John Gilbert (on poems of Ovid)
 
Artistic Directors: Dinu Ghezzo and Ana Maria Munteanu
Choreography: Lisa Naugle (UCI)
Images: Luigi Vernieri, director IED, Rome
 
Music (in order of the performance) by:
Dinu Ghezzo, Tom Beyer, Young Mi Ha, Akiko Asai, Jong-Suh Lee, Chien Nien Chen, Rama Gottfried, Ron Mazurek, Felix Pastor, Thom MacFarlane, John Gilbert
 
 
The Performance Plan
 
(Completely new order !!!!!)
 
1. Introduction - Dinu Ghezzo 2'
2. Procession - Dinu Ghezzo 3'
3. Lettere d-Amore - Tom Beyer 5'
4. Dance from Oas - Dinu Ghezzo 4'
5. Passage - Young Mi Ha 2'
6. Choga - Dinu Ghezzo 4'
7. Letter from Japan - Akiko Asai 5'
8. Korean Dream - Jong Suh Lee 2'
9. Drums of War - Chien Nien Chen 3'
10. Ondes - Dinu Ghezzo 4'
11. Procession - Rama Gottfried 3'
 
intermission
 
12. Memento - Ron Mazurek 8'
13. Armenian Love Song - Dinu Ghezzo 1.30'
14. When Nobody is Listening - Felix Pastor 5'
15. The City of the World - Thom MacFarlane 5'
16. Thracian Nights - John Gilbert 5'
17. ALBA - Dinu Ghezzo 5'
18. Postlude - Dinu Ghezzo 2'
 
 
DETAILS
 
I-II. Dinu Ghezzo - Introduction - Procession. Music (Tape) of Simson Agonistes (2 minutes). Slow movement
Dark Stage - Chorus enters in Greek classic procession

APHRODITE-VENUS, Chorus, Soprano Singer-Narrator, Orchestra pedals, Electronics, Images (4-5 minutes) Slow Movement

Chorus: Chants of "Venus - Aphrodite !" (repeated for 3-4 times).
Venus-Aphrodite enters and sings:
 
BIRTHING AENEAS, By Christine Ghezzo
 
With the curve of jeweled ankles,
And gold twists of hair,
I seduced mortal Anchises
In a field of no shadows.
 
Aeneas was birthed
Into sun and sage.
Offspring of Aphrodite
And earth,
With eyes of dawn
Feet as light and quick as
Sparrow wings.
A straddler of dimensions.
 
Legends are told of his battles and death,
But his was not the soul of a warrior,
 
And so,
the Gods granted me permission
To anoint him as bringer of light.
An immortal messenger
Carried by wind,
waves,
sound,
prayer,
 
breath.
 
You can hear him
Singing though cypress branches in Sardegna,
Or temple bells in Korea.
 
See his reflection
In windows of skyscrapers,
On painted monastery walls of Moldova.
 
Feel him,
In the waters of Greece,
Or within the arms of a lover.
 
He is there-
reminding you that you are all reflections
of eachother.
Separated only by degrees
of language
and generations.
 
He is asking you to recognize a prayer,
Regardless of the name of God.
 
He is asking you to walk
to the bridge he built,
 
And to cross it.
 
NASCANDU-L PE AENEAS
de Christine Ghezzo (translation in Romanian by Saviana Stanescu)
 
Cu o curba a gleznelor in giuvaieruri
Si aurite rasuciri de par
L-am sedus pe muritorul Anchises
Intr-un cimp fara umbre.
 
Aeneas a fost nascut
Intru soare si magie,
Odrasla a Afroditei
Si a pamantului
Cu ochi de zori
Picioare repezi si usoare ca niste
Aripi de vant.
O punte-a dimensiunilor.
 
Sunt spuse legende despre bataliile si moartea sa,
Dar el nu a fost un suflet de razboinic
 
Si asa
Zeii mi-au garantat permisiunea
de a-l unge aducator de lumina.
Un mesager nemuritor
purtat de vant,
valuri,
sunet,
rugaciune,
 
rasuflare.
 
Il poti auzi
Cantand prin ramuri de pini in Sardegna
Sau clopote de templu in Korea.
 
Vezi reflexia lui
In geamuri de zgarie-nori,
Pe zidurile pictate ale manastirilor din Moldova
 
Il simti,
In apele Greciei,
Sau in bratele unui iubit.
 
El e acolo -
amintindu-ti ca suntem cu totii reflexii
ale celuilalt.
Separate doar prin grade
de limbi
si generatii.
 
El iti cere sa recunosti o rugaciune
indiferent de numele lui Dumnezeu.
 
Iti cere sa mergi
pe podul pe care el l-a construit
 
Si sa-l traversezi.
 
  (She walks gradually to off stage, in fading out narration): ".... walk to the bridge he built, ....... and to cross it." .....

Chorus: ".... walk to the bridge he built, and to cross it." .....
While chorus echoes the soprano, Tom Beyer piece starts
 
 
(OVERLAP 1 with MUSIC)
III. Tom Beyer - .THE ITALIAN LETTER (5 minutes), Faster (Moderato ?), Tonal-Modal
A piece for Solo Soprano, Solo Bass, Solo Dance, Dance, Orchestra, Choir, and Electro-Acoustic Ensemble, and Projected Images.
 
LETTERE D'AMORE PER TE - LOVE LETTER FOR YOU
A Letter from Aeneas written on board his ship shortly after leaving Dido on his journey to Italy. 
 
Ti desidero non solo per il tuo essere voluttuoso e sensuale
I yearn for you not only for your voluptuous, sensuous being
 
Ma perché per me i nostri esseri sono uno
But because in my mind our beings are, a being
 
Uno!           Inseparabile     irrefutabile    avanti nell'infinito
One!!        Inseparable     irrefutable     forward into infinite
 
Ero riluttante quando dovetti lasciare I tuoi lidi
I was unwilling when I had to leave your shores,
 
ma gli dei mi hanno forzato con I loro decreti
but the gods drove me by their decrees
 
Mi sei mancata dal momento che ti ho incontrato
I have missed you since the moment I met you
 
Ho nostalgia del momento in cui i miei occhi ti hanno vista per la prima volta
I miss the instant I first laid eyes on you
 
E di ogni momento gioioso che ho passato con te
And every joyous moment I have spent with you since
 
Pensieri di te continuano a circolare nella mia mente
The thoughts of you are ever circulating in my mind
 
Sei nel mio cuore e in ogni mio respiro
I hold you dearly in my heart and every breath
 
Narrative:
The letter is a pouring out of Aeneas' heart at the fact that he had to leave Dido behind, and at this point he does not know that she has already killed herself.  He is grappling with his love in the face of his destiny.  He has every faith that he will return to her once his destiny has been fulfilled but he is severely pained by the separation. 
 
Music Description:
 
The Soprano soloist is the image Aeneas has of Dido reading his letter.  The Dancers represent the Gods controlling everyone's thoughts and actions.  The Solo Dancer is wearing a wireless portable computer, which transmits data of the dancers movement, that causes an ever changing effect on the Soprano soloists voice.  While the Bass solo, with Jazz like musings woven through the solo Soprano line, represents AENEAS himself and his unwritten thoughts, including his internal anguish at having to follow his destiny rather than stay with his love.    The Electro-Acoustic Ensemble represents Aeneas' internal struggle. 
 
The Orchestra, which represents the earth of Tracia, is playing a scale consisting of
C D Eb F# G A Bb C.   The Choir, which is represents the Tracian people, is singing a Phrygian scale starting on C          C Db Eb F G Ab Bb C.   These two combined create another 10 note scale consisting of C Db D Eb F F# G Ab A Bb C  which is all our tones with the exception  of E and B.  The common tones between the two scales are C Eb G Bb forming the C minor seventh chord.   The Soprano, Bass, and Electro-Acoustic Ensemble are written using the 10 note scale. 
 
The music starts with an 8 second held note in the Violas and Celli which builds from nothingness.  The tempo is one beat per second to create the necessary melancholic mood.  The harmonies are very slow in feel although there are ever changing inner voices which alter the harmonies ever so slightly as one thought changes the meaning of your previous thought.  The Orchestra and Choir continue through out the piece to play a supportive harmonic role. 
 
 
(SHORT PAUSE, then start the next piece)
IV. Dance from Oas 4', for CD, NYU Players, dancers
Dreamlike Wedding Dance from Oas.
 
(OVERLAP 2 starting text over the ending of last piece)
V. YoungMi-Ha - DRUMS OF YESTERYEAR (drums duo), 2 minutes Faster
Dynamic duo percussion exchanges, in Korean character
 
VI. Dinu Ghezzo - CHOGA, Korean ANCESTRAL DANCE , CD, Drums, Piano (5 minutes), Synth, Dancers, Images
This is an ANCESTRAL DANCE, using a taped voice or a Korean woman-shaman, enhanced with electronics. The set should be similar with a circle magic, shaman's dance. Erotic and provocative dance.
Lisa, Please adjust the Poland choreography, for a group dance, of 2-4 dancers (pairs of man-women, with the women as leaders.
 
VII. Akiko Asai - LETTER FROM JAPAN(5 minutes)
(details)
 
The scene is a small farm village in the depths of the mountains.
People are old and exclusive to new and unfamiliar things.
One day people felt strange air since the morning. One guy found a suspicious figure in a ruined house.
People did not have any idea what he says and if he is a man. They could do nothing but watch him through the window. And they called him "N.S."
 
However, next morning he had disappeared.
 
People were still not sure if he was in a vision or he existed in the
real..... 
 
(FREEZE, slow motion change of stage, slow motion of dancers), 10" END OF FRAGMENT WILL OVERLAP WITH THE NEXT NUMBER
VIII. Korean Dream - Jong Suh Lee 3' CD and NYU Players
Lyrical passage ....

OVERLAP with next number (from erotic dance to war dance....)
IX. Chien Nien Chen - Drums of War (Taiwan), CD, Drums and Piano (3 minutes') Fast

Battle music, static, non melodic, repetitive patterns
 
(OVERLAP 4 with tape MUSIC)
X. Dinu Ghezzo - ONDES for orchestra and Soprano (7 minutes) Slow movement:
(details) Orchestra, Soprano, Dancers and Images: Aeneas travels through the seas and oceans...
First 4 minutes orchestra only. Dreammy
Instead of Piano Cadenza: Soprano starts singing ARIA, while on Tape (CD) the Voice of Christine recites in English the poem. Orchestra restart playing ovelapping the poem and the ending of Aria.
 
XI. Rama Gottfried - INDIAN-PAKISTANI Procession (3 minutes) Oriental Character, Moderato
(details), for 2 Tr, 2 Ob, 2 Dbasses and Tape
Tape consists of a patchwork of ethnic Indian & Pakistani music, crowd noise overlapped by ethnic sounding oboes and trumpets
 
INTERMISSION
 
XII. Ron Mazurek (8 minutes) MEMENTO for Strings, Chorus, Percussion, Dance, Image, and Electronic Sound
Atonal, for Orchestra, Chorus and CD
 
To remember, to meditate, to reflect, in other words to do in music what would be fitting for a requiem. When listening not with the ear but with the spirit, one can perceive the subtle sound. That is why so many religious traditions pray, sing, or chant as a prelude to silence. They understand that the repetition and absorption of sound leads to sacredness itself. The deepest sound is silence.
 
This work is a dedication to and remembrance of the loss we all suffered
from the tragedy of September 11, 2001.
 
The following are the chants upon which it is based:
 
Memento mei Deus
Chant (Responsory from Matins for the Dead) matins = daybreak
Memento mei Deus, quia ventus est vita mea: Nec aspiciat me visus hominis.
Versus: De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: Domine, exaudi vocem meam. (Remember me, O Lord, for my life is as the wind: neither do men have any regard for me.
Verse: Out of the deep I called to you, O Lord: Lord hear my voice.) (parenthesis is the English translation)
In paradisum Chant (Antiphon from the Burial Service)
In paradisum deducant te Angeli: in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres,
Et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. Chorus Angelorum te
sucipiat,
Et cum Lazaro quondam paupere aeternam habeas requiem.
(May the Angels lead you into Paradise: at your coming may the Martyrs
receive you and bring you into the holy city Jerusalem. May the choir of
Angels receive you and with Lazarus, who was once a pauper, may you have
eternal rest.)
 
(SHORT PAUSE, then start the next piece)

XIII. Dinu Ghezzo: ARMENIAN Song (1.3 minutes) Slow movement
String Orchestra, Armenian modal character
 
(FREEZE, slow motion of dancers), 10" pause
XIV. Felix Pastor - When Nobody Else is Reading: Orchestra and Electronic Sound (Computer file) MM.60 (5 minutes)
(details), Computer start, Orchestra continues. Electronic Letter (email)
 
This is based on a letter Aeneas will write to himself (ideally and if the elves of technology allow him to so on the day of the performance).
In short, Aeneas is lost once again, but on this occasion he is further confused by time and personality: his almost godlike condition has disolved him into everyone/every-time, but his human side is still struggling to make sense of this.
 
The piece starts with electronic sounds (windlike resonances from white noise) that eventually turn into definite notes over the course of 2 minutes. At this point, the orchestra overlaps and goes into an ascending melody in a limping 12/8 with dotted quarter=65. This crashes about 2 minutes later in a chaotic climax and the computer overlaps with the windlike resonances again that eventually dissolve into white noise. Therefore, in 5 minutes, Aeneas has been able to focus himself long enough to realize his crisis and, out of desperation, dissolve himself
again.
 
XV. Thom MacFarlane - The City of the World (5-6 minutes) Slow movement
(details) tonal, instrospective piece for Orchestra
 
After a long sea journey, Aeneas sights The City of the World.
Arriving in the harbor, he marvels at the technology of the inhabitants which is evident in the towering modern architecture.
 
Traveling around the island city, Aeneas is struck by a sense of restful calm.
Soon, however, he becomes aware of the inhabitants' pain and sorrow.
 
Aeneas' father appears to him and tells him that he cannot stay.
He leaves The City of the World still determined to find his home.
 
(Start the next piece with no Break) Faster, Jazzy

XVI. John Gilbert - THRACIAN WINTER, for Tape, Piano, Percussion and Synthesizer, Dance, Images (5 minutes)
(details) Modal, Thacian Character, lyric.
 
XVII. Dinu Ghezzo - ALBA Electronic Tape, Tom Beyer, Ron Mazurek, Dinu Ghezzo as players,plus 2-3 players from Constanta (5 minutes)
(details) Dance: from abstract jazz to Thracian Song. Images. For Tape (CD), Trio NYU and Orchestra Improvisation towards the big crash.
 
The first section is built around an abstract electric bass line, in which there are bursts of electronic and instruments sounds. It represents Aeneas' state of confusion and exhaustion, related to his extensive travels around the world, this time being on the streets of New York on 9/11/01, wittnessing the collapse of WTC. Segment ends with a huge crash.
 
Suddently,, a Romanian (ex. Thracian song, sang by Mr. Ghezzo's daughter, Christine) symbolizes the realization of his Thracian roots.
The end expands the feel of homecoming, warmth, nostalgy.
 
XVIII. Dinu Ghezzo - Postlude, 2' for CD, NYU Players, Orchestra pedals, chorus narration, images, Dancers procession
 
 
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