Friday, September 19 Sunday, September 21 

The Musics of Greece through the Shadow Theatre 
A multi coloured spectacle with live traditional music, actors, acrobats and shadow theatre

Volos Municipal Theatre
(3 performances, one for schools)

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Karaghiozis is a figure not limited by the time or the place, his music is familiar to everyone and his personality is easily recognisable by all races, social classes and ages. He expresses the joy and the pain of the human being. He often satirises himself up to the total self-refutation. His figure constitutes the model of an inventive person and through the contradictions of his behaviour finally leaves the spectator with a bitter-sweet feeling of satirising his own self. 

AVANTI MAESTRO

Karaghiozis and the characters of the Shadow Theatre invite us in a journey through the Greek music tradition, to search the wealth and diversity of folk music, getting to know songs and dances from all regions of Hellenism, discovering music instruments with charming sounds we might have never heard. But more than everything else, Karaghiozis and his company urges us not to stay passive listeners of the music, but to play fearlessly with it ! Imitating the sounds of the nature (which is the beginning of all musics), making voices representing persons and situations, creating our own verses on old, well-known melodies, feeling a song with our whole body by dancing it. Each one of the figures of the Shadow Theatre, with its speech, song and movement, shows its origin and personality. 
Which one, among all the singers and musicians, will the Vizier's daughter finally choose to be her husband? To win her love, each of them has chosen the most beautiful song of his region and dedicates it to her. With them we'll get to know 'chasapiko', 'chasaposerviko' and 'karsilamas', the most favourite dances of the Greeks who lived in Constantinople and the coasts Asia Minor. Very distinctive is also the 'spoon dance' from Kappadokia, accompanied by wooden spoons clapping against each other. The refugees that came from Asia Minor after 1922 brought with them types of song as 'rebetiko' and 'amanes', which combine elements of oriental and byzantine music, since Greece has always been a crossroad of civilizations. 'Zonaradikos', the most lively dance of Thrace, was named after the fact that the dancers hold each other from their belts ('zonari' in Greek). 'Syrtos Kalamatianos', the most well-known dance rhythm in Greece, is found even from the antiquity. The study on the language and the music, often proves the continuation of Greek civilisation through the centuries. Even today in many places people still sing the achievements of the heroes of 1821's revolution. Finally, the Aegean Sea, Crete, Cyprus, the Black Sea, with their lively and pleasant melodies, complete the music itinerary in Greek tradition.

The musical instruments used in every area differ from each other. In the Greek Mainland we meet the 'floghera', a simple cane, used by shepherds and also 'zournas' - a wind instrument which belongs in the same family with the ancient Greek 'aulos' - accompanied by 'daouli', a big drum. The instrument demanding the greatest dexterity, 'clarino', in Greek popular music is used in a totally different way from that of the symphony orchestra. Stringed instruments ('tabouras', 'laouto', 'outi') first appeared in Mesopotamia 5000 years ago and are met in Greece even from ancient times. 'Violin' and 'lyra' are also string instruments where the strings are not 'nipped' as in laouto, but are 'rubbed' with a bow. These melodic instruments are accompanied by percussion instruments ('toubeleki', 'defi') and play an extensive variety of Greek dancing rhythms. 
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A play by Memi Spyratou dedicated to the memory of Bost.
Texts, direction, choreography: Memi Spyratou
Musical research: Lambros Liavas
Music supplied by the group Thretannelo
ChristowTsiamoulis (lutes- Sior Dionysis)
Michalis Clapakis (percussion - Chatziabatis)
Periklis Papapetropoulos (tabouras - 'Rebetis')
Sokratis Sinopoulos (lyra - guy from Crete)
Vassilis Gianissis (violi - 'Rebetis')
And also the musicians
Aristidis Vassilaris (wind instruments- Barba Ghiorghos)
Zoi Tighanouria - Marinaki (accordion - Vizier's daugther)
Shadow theatre player: Jason Melissinos
Latern player: Stelios Papaminas 
Assistant: Ourania Papamina
Sets and Costumes by Damianos Zarifis 
(courtesy of the Athens Megaron) 
Sets and costumes adaption: Vaso Tsonoglou
Contributors
Takis Vamvakidis Karaghiozis
Louisa Mitsakou Aglaia
Pantelis Papageorghiou Vizier - Katsantonis - Alexander the Great
Fani Adamidou Kollitiri, Karaghiozis little son
Spyros KarnasiotisThanasis GhinisMemi Spyratou Acrobat - AcrobatStavrakas
Assistant Director: Dora Maghaki 
Production Coordinator: Anna Kapnoula
Accounting Manager: Marina Iliaki

webdesing by emfietzi

Two more instruments are added in the Karaghiozis company, 'accordeon' and 'laterna', which allthough originated in Italy, were incorporated into Greek music. And of course the tradition of Karaghiozis and the folk songs use mainly the most perfect musical instrument, which is the human voice with its unlimited possibilities of expressiveness. 

Lambros Liavas.