ELENI KARAINDROU : Elegy of the Uprooting (2006) 2CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Eleni Karaindrou has been active for more than three decades as a film composer, creating scores for Weeping Meadow, Eternity and a Day, Voyage to Cythera, and other projects. Elegy of the Uprooting (1982-2004) is a large-scale work for voice, choir, and orchestra, in which themes from Karaindrou's soundtracks and incidental music for the theater are brought together in a more unified format. This live 2005 concert presentation from Athens is as much a retrospective celebration of Karaindrou's artistry as it is an extended cantata-symphony on the theme of dislocation and the plight of refugees, so listeners at first may feel some confusion in how to appreciate the album. Furthermore, fans of ECM's New Series may find that this music is rather conventional, compared to the avant-garde fare the label regularly features. In a sense, this recording may be better suited to fans of traditional eastern European folk music who will find Karaindrou's sorrowful melodies and exotic instrumentation to their liking. Many will recognize the poignant theme By the Sea from its use in a TV ad for Lincoln Financial Group, though nothing else on this double disc is comparably familiar in the United States. On the whole, Elegy of the Uprooting consists of subdued instrumentals in minor keys, often led by the composer from the piano, and sorrowful songs delivered with deep emotion by Maria Farantouri, with support from the ERT Choir and the Camerata Orchestra, conducted by Alexandros Myrat. Because of its consistently somber moods, slow tempos, and long running time, this is a good album to play in the background on overcast days, though its unrelieved melancholy may even be too much for that purpose. ECM's sound is clear and mostly clean, except for a few audience noises.  by Blair Sanderson  
Track Listing - Disc 1
Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow
1 Prayer 3:59
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Suspended Step of the Stork
2 Refugee's Theme 1:42
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
  Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow
3 Weeping Meadow 3:28
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
  Ulysses' Gaze
4 Dance 3:30
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Trojan Women
5 Ode of Tears 4:07
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
6 For the Phrygian Land Vast Mourning 2:09
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
  Eternity and a Day
7 By the Sea 1:26
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
8 Depart and Eternity Theme 6:22
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
  Rosa
9 Rosa's Aria 3:53
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow
10 Memories 2:44
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Trojan Women
11 Hecuba's Lament/Hecuba's Theme II 1:39
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
12 Telamon, You Came to Conquer Our Town 1:41
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
13 City That Gave Birth to You Was Consumed by Fire 2:02
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
14 Ode of Tears 0:36
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow
15 Theme of the Uprooting I 0:42
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
16 Weeping Meadow II 2:08
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
  Voyage to Cythera
17 Voyage 1:58
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
18 Voyage to Cythera 2:17
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow
19 On the Road 3:10
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Track Listing - Disc 2
Happy Homecoming, Comrade
1 Parade 2:56
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
2 Return 2:26
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Trojan Women
3 Andromache's Theme 0:54
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
4 Land I Call Home 1:47
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
5 Home of My Forefathers 1:47
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
6 I Wish I'm Given There 1:21
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Suspended Step of the Stork
7 Refugee's Theme 2:02
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
The Seagull
8 The Seagull 1:27
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
9 The Song of the Lake 2:26
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Landscape in the Mist
10 Adagio/Father's Theme 2:57
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Trojan Women
11 In Vain the Sacrifices 2:13
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
12 My Beloved, Your Soul is Wandering 2:58
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
The Price of Love
13 The Decision 2:41
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
  The Beekeeper
14 The Farewell Theme 4:26
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow
15 Theme of the Lake 2:32
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Trojan Women
16 Hecuba's Theme II 1:03
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
17 Lament for Astyanax 2:11
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
18 Exodos 2:49
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow
19 Weeping Meadow 2:53
Eleni Karaindrou / Helene Karaindrou
Credits
    Bassoon – Spyros Kazianis
    Bayan [Accordion Bayan] – Konstantinos Raptis
    Bendir, Percussion [Daouli] – Andreas Papas
    Choir – Hellenic Radio/Television Choir
    Chorus Master [Choirmaster] – Antonis Kontogeorgiou
    Clarinet – Nikos Guinos
    Conductor [Camerata Orchestra] – Alexandros Myrat
    Directed By [Artistic Director] – Manfred Eicher
    Flute – Stella Gadedi
    French Horn – Vangelis Skouras
    Harp – Maria Bildea
    Kanun [Kanonaki] – Panos Dimitrakopoulos
    Lyre [Constantinople Lyre], Lute [Laouto] – Socratis Sinopoulos
    Mandolin – Aristotelis Dimitriadis
    Ney – Christos Tsiamoulis
    Oboe – Vangelis Christopoulos
    Orchestra – Camerata Orchestra, Camerata Orchestra
    Piano, Composed By, Liner Notes – Eleni Karaindrou
    Producer – Manfred Eicher
    Producer [Concert Produced By] – The Athens Concert Hall
    Santoor [Santouri] – Andreas Katsiyiannis
    Trumpet – Socratis Anthis
    Violin – Sergiu Nastasa
    Violoncello – Renato Ripo
    Voice – Maria Farantouri