TRYS KETURIOSE / THREE IN FOUR
LITHUANIAN POLYPHONIC SONGS CONCERT + WORKSHOP
SATURDAY, APRIL 14, doors 5pm
Concert will start at 5.30pm sharp. Workshop will follow at 6.30pm-8.30pm
The event will be led in English and Lithuanian languages
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Donations on a sliding scale of $5-$10 are strongly recommended at the door to thank the performers for their time
Trys Keturiose
Five women: Daina Norvaišytė, Eglė Sereičikienė, Rima Visackienė, Daiva Vyčinienė, the leader, and Audronė Žilinskienė specialize in the performance of original Lithuanian polyphonic songs Sutartines. These songs stand out from the rest of Lithuanian folklore due to their numerous use of seconds, entwined voices, accentuated rhythmical pattern and the simultaneous sound of two different texts (main and refrain). All these qualities of the polyphonic songs require an extraordinary concord of performers, a habit of singing together or “sutarimas” (the name Sutartines was derived from verb “sutarti” – to agree, to accord). Thus, it is not by accident that since the old times Sutartines have been sung in small groups (2, 3 or 4 women).
The first group was created by the leader Daiva Račiūnaitė-Vyčinienė in Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’ Art School in 1982. Later the group composition changed. “Trys keturiose” (“three in four”) are words of one refrain, which playfully reflect the at times changing, at times constant composition of this group (sometimes there are three and sometimes there are four singers). The group has 20 years of experience singing traditional songs, and while it doesn't copy the sound of the archival recordings, it seeks to retain the authentic colour of the sutartinės sound. The singers are trying to understand this archaic tradition of the language, experience a deep spiritual and aesthetic feeling, and to send these emotions to the modern listener. They also seek to approach contemporary arts and collaborate with composers and media artists.
National Sawdust Artist-in-Residence Abraham Brody will join alongside Trys Keturiose.
Abraham has collaborated with renowned performance artist Marina Abramovic, has travelled to far-eastern Siberia in search of shamans, and also creates the bulk of his solo works based on the folklore and music of his Lithuanian roots.
Abraham Brody & Trys Keturiose: Ancestors
There's a great opportunity to see this Lithuanian folksinging ensemble performance in collaboration with Abraham Brody at National Sawdust
Trys Keturiose + Abraham Brody (violin) Sla307 Art Space, NY, 2018