Abstract
The word "keening" originates from “caoineadh”, the Gaelic word for weeping or wailing. Many cultures around the world have ancient keening rituals involving emotionally-charged, dramatic vocalisations that express mourning and grieving.
Keening, Dr Evangelia Rigaki's composition for solo harpsichord, calls for a variety extended techniques: Ebow, pizzicato, string glissando, knocking on wood, humming, vocalising, wailing, slapping the chest, and theatrical lying over the strings inside the harpsichord as if mourning a loved one. These techniques produce a variety of unique sounds and dramatic gestures, evoking powerful emotions, images, memories, and symbolic references.
Rigaki's composition was commissioned in 2024 by Dr Janet Oates as part of her transnational project "Inventions: The Harpsichord Across Time and Borders", made possible with funding from Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, Sound Festival (Scotland), The Marchus Trust, The Hope Scott Trust, Mary Cooke, and The Francis Louth Trust, as well as Shanker and Mellicent Singham from the Competere Foundation.
As part of Oates' Inventions project, the first live performances of Keening were premiered throughout the autumn of 2024 in multiple concerts by three harpsichordists in three different countries: Yonit Kosovske (Ireland), Tiffany Vong (Scotland), and England (Katarzyna Kowalik). Kosovske was so moved by Rigaki's composition that she felt inspired to create a performance of Keening made especially for screen.
Yonit Kosovske, harpsichord
Yonit Kosovske, video artistic direction
Ilani Smishkewych Kosovske, film & audio recording
Vlad Smishkewych (Now and Then Media, Ltd.), editing and mastering
Recorded in County Tipperary, Ireland
Now and Then Media, Ltd.©2024
Keening, Dr Evangelia Rigaki's composition for solo harpsichord, calls for a variety extended techniques: Ebow, pizzicato, string glissando, knocking on wood, humming, vocalising, wailing, slapping the chest, and theatrical lying over the strings inside the harpsichord as if mourning a loved one. These techniques produce a variety of unique sounds and dramatic gestures, evoking powerful emotions, images, memories, and symbolic references.
Rigaki's composition was commissioned in 2024 by Dr Janet Oates as part of her transnational project "Inventions: The Harpsichord Across Time and Borders", made possible with funding from Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, Sound Festival (Scotland), The Marchus Trust, The Hope Scott Trust, Mary Cooke, and The Francis Louth Trust, as well as Shanker and Mellicent Singham from the Competere Foundation.
As part of Oates' Inventions project, the first live performances of Keening were premiered throughout the autumn of 2024 in multiple concerts by three harpsichordists in three different countries: Yonit Kosovske (Ireland), Tiffany Vong (Scotland), and England (Katarzyna Kowalik). Kosovske was so moved by Rigaki's composition that she felt inspired to create a performance of Keening made especially for screen.
Yonit Kosovske, harpsichord
Yonit Kosovske, video artistic direction
Ilani Smishkewych Kosovske, film & audio recording
Vlad Smishkewych (Now and Then Media, Ltd.), editing and mastering
Recorded in County Tipperary, Ireland
Now and Then Media, Ltd.©2024
| Original language | English (Ireland) |
|---|---|
| Media of output | Online |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2024 |