CPR Workshops archive
THEATRE ZAR: Into the Sound - A Workshop on Georgian Music [April 2006]
Wroclaw-based Theatre Zar brings together stirring harmonies and dissonance in powerful music theatre, and aim to share their methods and songs with participants.
Mae Theatre Zar sydd â’u cartref yn Wroclaw yn dwyn ynghyd gytgordiau ac anghytgord gwefreiddiol mewn theatr gerdd rymus, a byddant yn rhannu eu dulliau a’u caneuon â’r cyfranwyr.
Into the Sound – A workshop on Georgian Music
Jaroslaw Fret & Ditte Berkeley
Between1999 – 2002, Poland’s Theatre Zar made four expeditions to Georgia, where they met and worked with those involved in Georgian traditional music. In Tibilisi they learnt reconstructed religious songs, including many liturgical songs (from Sioni Church). However, their most important experience was in Svaneti, in the Higher Caucasus, where they encountered a tradition of polyphonic songs whose origins date back two thousand years. These old songs are performed in a language which is no longer understood by Svans themselves and are the oldest form of polyphonic singing in Georgia and perhaps in the whole world. Work with the songs from the Higher Caucasus will be the main theme for the workshop.
Divided into two 2 ½ hour sessions a day, most of the work will be carried out barefoot. Participants will be introduced to the following elements:
Pure Sound and Harmony (Svanetian harmonies, Georgian Liturgical songs, Cries/Calls); Rhythm / Breath rhythm (based on Balkan rhythm patterns and improvisations); co-ordination and exploration of natural rhythmic tendency; the connection of physical rhythms with the breath, voice and song and Partner exercises (work on physical contact between partners through physical impulses and acrobatic elements).
Music material will include:
Alleluia, Amin – Liturgical incantations
Romelni Kerubimta Sa – Liturgical Song from the Church of Sioni
Tsmi Dao Gmerto – Liturgical Song from the Church of Gelati (fragments)
Shen Har Venahi – ‘You are the vine bush’, Funeral song
Yelia Lerde Yi - Svaneti
Lile – Song for the Rising Sun, Svaneti
Tsmi Dao Gmerto – Liturgical Song, Svaneti
Jaroslaw Fret, former vice-director of the Grotowski Centre is founder and leader of Theater ZAR with the project The Gospel of Childhood. From 1999-2003 he organized several expeditions to the Near and Middle East to explore the old Christian churches (Georgian, Armenian, Syrian) and Mandaeans – the last living, ancient Gnostic sect surviving in Iran. One part of this project is Theatre Zar’s performance, The Gospel of Childhood, which has been presented in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy and Hungary. Jaroslaw has led workshops in the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany and England and is joint editor of Pamietnik Teatralny (6 volumes 2000-2001) - a special edition dedicated to Jerzy Grotowski. He also organized the conference "Towards the Essence. G.I. Gurdjieff" which included the participation of Peter Brook.
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