Canzonetta spirituale sopra alla nanna, 2020

Greek National Opera

Director: Ιlias Madouros
Cinematography: Nikos Karanikolas
Adaptation: Guido de Flaviis, Spyros Tzekos
Free translation of prose into Greek: Anastasia Kotsali, Guido de Flaviis
Performers: Anastasia Kotsali (mezzo-soprano), Guido de Flaviis (saxophone), Spyros Tzekos (clarinet)
Narrators: Guido de Flaviis, Spyros Tzekos

3rd Online GNO Festival, The Music of Language
Curated by Giorgos Koumendakis
Production of the Greek National Opera

Canzonetta spirituale sopra alla nanna by Tarquinio Merula (1595–1665) is a profound reflection on love, the fear of death, and hope. Tarquinio Merula, an exuberant figure, promiscuous, and with a rebellious spirit, produced cutting-edge compositions, that surprise even modern-day audiences with their boldness and originality.

Commissioned by the Greek National Opera, this work explores the silent, spiritual narratives of women, using the Madonna as a metaphor for devotion, strength, and vulnerability. The lens stares at Greek and foreign women as they pose in historic buildings, ballrooms, and interwar lounges. Their words are never heard, yet they engage with the camera in intimate, silent dialogue.

In these moments, the women embody an inner sanctity, their expressions and gestures revealing a deep, unspoken connection to the past and to a universal, spiritual experience of womanhood. Set against the hybrid landscape of Athens, the video becomes a meditation on the sacred and the personal, capturing numb stories of suffering, hope, and quiet reverence.