Shades of a Mountain

A search for the crack in the heart of Armenian songs, including live sculpting

About the show:

The big hit of The Amsterdam Storytelling Festival of 2022 returns! The Shushiki band then performed outside of Armenia, for the first time in the band’s history. With their wonderful tones and golden throats they immediately conquered the hearts of the festival audience. Of course there needs to be a follow up. That is why festival director Raphael Rodan travelled to Armenia, to create a musical storytelling with Tamara Atensyian, Meri and Nare Kartashyan.

Have you ever watched a mountain from afar? A mountain you desired to climb? To breathe the air from its peak. To watch the view that spreads underneath its wings. Yet standing under it, you asked yourself whether it’s possible. Perhaps It’s just too high… always there just outside of your reach. Winking at you from above.

Many of the Armenian songs express a longing such as this. In their stories it would be the mountain of Ararat that is for laying across the border out of their reach. But what if it’s just a metaphor expressing a longing of a heart that is seeking to be whole? Leonard Cohen once said: ‘There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light comes in.’ Come and join us on a musical storytelling journey seeking the crack in the heart of those Armenian songs.

Credits:
Singing: The Shushiki Band – Tamara Atensyian, Meri and Nare Kartashyan
Storytelling: Raphael Rodan
Live sculpting: Gor Davtyan
Final direction: Titus Tiel Groenestege
This performance is developed with the support of Muziekgebouw Productiehuis

Show in English