Making life with clay

The Kypria International Festival 2016 is coming to a close next week with three performances of the opera Ra…Patsia…Ou… by award winning Cypriot composer Andys Skordis.

The opera, written in the Cypriot dialect and executed by nine musicians together with electronic elements and pre-recorded Gamelan music, introduces us to the world of a sculptress who fell in love with her creation, a creation of her own inspiration that came to life. The downfall is that the sculptress could do nothing else but stand by and watch her live creation decay before her very eyes.

Incapable of interfering with this deconstructive procedure, she is haunted by guilt because she has created a creature and condemned it to destruction. In turn, the sculpture embodies the role of the sculptress’ consciousness since it loves her because she brought it to life. Highlighting the notion that love is not enough, the sculpture also resents her for what she has done, leading the creator to madness.

Skordis has composed operas, symphonic works, chamber music, music for dance and short films, and he has been awarded the Buma Toonzetters Prize 2012, the first and second prizes from Cyprus Symphony Orchestra and more. His music finds inspiration in primordial human nature, in ceremonial and mystical rituals from the world and from his personal experiences.

The nine musicians who will perform the opera are part of a collective music project called Patsioura. Patsioura was formed in 2014 and is based in Nicosia. The group consists of musicians from various genres (classical, rock, jazz, etc.) creating a unique and distinctive ensemble dedicated to the performance of new works.

Through their performances, they strive to highlight an intuitive practice, which is somehow lost in our contemporary society by reminding the audience of their primitive instincts.

The scenography is created by the architect Constantinos Louca. Besides architectural projects, Louca is active in designing spatial installations and stages for various performances.

Ra…Patsia…Ou…
Performance of the contemporary opera by Cypriot composer Andys Skordis. October 5-7. Dancehouse Lefkosia, 25 Parthenonos Street, Ayios Andreas, Nicosia. 8.30pm. €10/5. Tel: 70-005035

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