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SATURDAY 21 JUNE, 8pm Castle Theatre, Aberystwyth Tickets £7/£5 DON'T TURN YOUR FACE FROM ME, LORD Directed by Volodymyr Kuchynsky. DISCOVER THE POWER OF SACRED SONG. Some of the most beautiful and moving music was written for the human voice, much of it written to celebrate 'Faith'. The choral tradition was at one time very strong in the Ukraine, drawing on a deep sense of religious devotion. As part of their search to create a distinctive, modern and yet passionate theatre, Les Kurbas Theatre company have re-discovered some of these Ukrainian liturgical songs and married their sublime melodies with new text from the poems of the Ukraine's most celebrated modern poet, Vasyl Stus. DON'T TURN YOUR FACE FROM ME, LORD is a staged performance of ancient Ukrainian spiritual songs written between the 14th and 18th centuries. These songs are known as 'Irmos', which means "bunch", or a number of things interwoven. Ukrainian spiritual songs are one of the most beautiful examples of Irmos - connected to the polyphonic traditions of Greece, Georgia, Corsica and the south Slav states, yet creating their own distinctive tone. Ukraine's leading theatre company, Les Kurbas Theatre, combine an intensely physical performance style with rich vocal work, constantly interweaving the two, to convey narrative, atmosphere and rhythm. Intensely expressive and overwhelmingly vital, Les Kurbas' performance belongs to that unique East European music-theatre genre which transforms native folk culture into extraordinary avant-garde works most recently exemplified in Wales by Gardzienice Theatre and Song of the Goat from Poland. Theatre lovers who remember Gardzienice when they came to Wales a few years back, will be familiar with this high-octane mix of bare feet, rhythms, amazing vocal harmonies, impassioned speeches and quasi-religious ritual. ....that tradition of physical, simple, energetic, pure theatre. (David Adams on Song of the Goat Theatre) If you saw Natalka Polovynka perform on her own in April then you will already know what an extraordinary voice she has. Join us for what promises to be a memorable concert performed by four members of the acclaimed Ukrainian company, Les Kurbas. Book your tickets on 01970 622133. |
| Centre for Performance Research web site: www.thecpr.org |
| Antony Pickthall e-mail: aop@aber.ac.uk |
Wednesday, June 18, 2003 |
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