An unusual spectacle combining elements of funeral songs with references to the history of the legendary ancient Sumerian ruler – Gilgamesh. Together they form a divine mystery purifying body and soul.
The Wrocław Song of the Goat Theatre was founded in 1996 by Grzegorz Bral and Anna Zubrzycka and is considered one of the most innovative European ensembles. In 2001, Bral’s play ” “Chronicles – Lamentation Custom”, awarded many times m.in. Best International Show in Edinburgh (2004); The Guardian Award (2004); Scotsman Fringe First (2004).
The performance is the result of a 2-year search of the ensemble, exploring the tradition of lamentations and polyphonic songs straight from a distant land called Edir from the border of Albania and Greece. The aim was to develop unity between movement and music, in which fragments of the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh, written on stone tablets 5,000 years ago, were incorporated.
The soundtrack to the performance Chronicles – Lamentation Custom is opened by actors performing old Albanian funeral songs (laments) using polyphonic singing, i.e. polyphonic singing. They can be imagined in complete darkness, sitting in a circle, creating the mood of a sacred assembly.
The atmosphere is filled with pain and despair of lamenting women, and in its background the deep bass of male voices resounds steadily. When the actual song begins, interrupted several times by primitive cries, we do not understand its content, but immediately fall into its rhythm. Our reception is focused on the level of sounds and emotions. The incredible mixing of singing and screaming with onomatopoeic elements makes us delve into the mystical atmosphere, which will be further intensified.
A narrative then emerges from the song – the story of Gilgamesh, who declared battle against the goddess Ishtar. During the fight, his companion Enkidu dies – half-human, half-animal and then the hero begins a tragic search for immortality, trying to mock death and avoid destiny.
This story is not presented in too much detail, because it is not the essence of the performance. It is a song whose rhythm gives tone and energy to the whole performance. It captivates with severity, simplicity, and at the same time a certain anxiety and tension created by the use of a regular rhyme with 9 syllables with 10 empty bars. This form gives the text an unusual dynamic, even hypnotic effect. Singing is a binder connecting subsequent elements of history, a form in which one would like to last indefinitely.
Grzegorz Bral talked about his concept of original art:
… To find an action that is not trivial, you have to find the energy of the text, the energy of music, the energy of the partner, the relationship, and then sometimes something original is created. And in the originality there is a piece of energy. (…) [Theatre is] about the energy that is built in the stage space. The most interesting theatrical moment is when I seem to see everything in a musical perspective – every character, every place of the actor is like a note on the score.
After listening to the Chronicles, we have no doubt that they represent art of the highest order, consisting of elements perfectly matched to each other, harmonizing with each other so as to move the most sensitive strings of our soul. Desperate lamentations intertwined with the mystical story of Gilgamesh sung in a mystical atmosphere take us into a mysterious space filled with ecstatic dance, and with the resonance of the last sound we are pierced by a divine shiver. CATHARSIS.
I never expected that a soundtrack alone, without an image, could make such a powerful impression on me. The key to such an enthusiastic reception is probably the incredible charge of emotions that the Chronicles have, moving the body, mind and imagination.