An evening like a personal conversation spanning generations: in »Mayrig« – the Armenian word for »mother« – Canadian cellist and composer Karen Ouzounian weaves together family memories, Armenian melodies and French chansons into a powerful musical mosaic exploring origins, loss and hope.
At the heart of the project are the voices of Karen Ouzounian’s mother and grandmother, which she recorded during conversations and has woven into an intimate programme for cello, electronics, piano and vocals. Songs and stories from Anatolia, the family’s ancestral homeland, and Lebanon, their new home, give rise to a multi-layered stream of music and memories, in which personal stories and collective memory intersect.
Original arrangements of Armenian folk music sit alongside the chansons of Charles Aznavour, who has Armenian-French roots, and music by the Baroque composer Marin Marais; new works explore themes such as war, trauma, migration, rootedness and resilience. Karen Ouzounian takes to the stage alongside pianist Lembit Beecher as part of Rhiannon Giddens’s »Reflektor« festival.
PERFORMERS
Karen Ouzounian violoncello, vocals & co-creator
Lembit Beecher piano, electronics & co-creator
PROGRAM
»Mayrig – Mother«
Songs and stories from the Armenian diaspora
