Nicholas Spanos: "Since nine o'clock" poetry Cavafy

"Απ' τες Eννιά" - "Since Nine"
Nicholas Spanos sings in greek one of his own songs, entitled " Since Nine", on poetry by C.P. Cavafy. Along with another one (called "Epithymiae" - "Desires"), these two songs are composed for medium voice, cello and piano. Spanos interprets his own music for the first time at the "Suoni mezzi" recital, given in Thessaloniki, Greece, on October 10th, 2009.

SUONI MEZZI Recital for countertenor, violoncello & piano
Thessalonica, Greece, 10.10.2009
Piano: Nikos Zafranas
Violoncello: Yannis Stefos


Απ' τες Eννιά ―
Δώδεκα και μισή. Γρήγορα πέρασεν η ώρα
απ' τες εννιά που άναψα την λάμπα,
και κάθισα εδώ. Κάθουμουν χωρίς να διαβάζω,
και χωρίς να μιλώ. Με ποιόνα να μιλήσω
κατάμονος μέσα στο σπίτι αυτό.

Το είδωλον του νέου σώματός μου,
απ' τες εννιά που άναψα την λάμπα,
ήλθε και με ηύρε και με θύμισε
κλειστές κάμαρες αρωματισμένες,
και περασμένην ηδονή— τι τολμηρή ηδονή!
Κ' επίσης μ έφερε στα μάτια εμπρός,
δρόμους που τώρα έγιναν αγνώριστοι,
κέντρα γεμάτα κίνησι που τέλεψαν,
και θέατρα και καφενεία που ήσαν μια φορά.

Το είδωλον του νέου σώματός μου
ήλθε και μ έφερε και τα λυπητερά•
πένθη της οικογένειας, χωρισμοί,
αισθήματα δικών μου, αισθήματα
των πεθαμένων τόσο λίγο εκτιμηθέντα.
Δώδεκα και μισή. Πώς πέρασεν η ώρα.
Δώδεκα και μισή. Πώς πέρασαν τα χρόνια.

http://www.kavafis.gr/kavafology/bibliography/analytical.asp?years=2009



Since Nine ―

Half past twelve. Time's sped by
since nine, when I first lit the lamp
and took a seat here. I've sat, neither reading
nor talking. Alone with myself in this house.
Who is there with whom I might talk?

Since nine, when I first lit the lamp,
the shade of my youthful being
has sought me out to remind me
of shuttered and scented rooms,
of fleshly pleasures past ― such pleasures!
And it has revealed to me, as well,
streets now become unrecognizable,
teeming nightclubs long since shuttered,
theaters and cafés that are no more.

The shade of my youthful being
has shown me the sources of sorrow, as well:
the grief of families, the separations,
sentiments of my own kin, sentiments
of the departed so little esteemed.

Half-past twelve. How the hours have sped by.
Half-past twelve. How the years have sped by.

Translated by Stratis Haviaras
http://www.cavafy.com/poems/content.asp?id=281&cat=1

http://www.nicholas-spanos.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Nicholas
• Spanos
• Nikos
• Nicos
• countertenor
• Since nine o'clock
• poetry
• Cavafy
• Νίκος
• Σπανός
• Κόντρα
• Τενόρος
• contre-ténor
• Kontratenor
• controtenore
• Απ' τες Eννιά
• Καβάφη

[serenaluce]

Very interesting, unusual composition. His singing is just from a somewhat better world than ours... Pure magic...

[PhillipLWilcher]

There is for me here a wonderfully rich feeling of resignation. Something quite given over to the moment. Deep seated. Overwhelming.

It is a very beautiful song. I love it!

Bless you!

[serenaluce]

@sjuli17 I like the whole song!:-) It's very personal for me...

[sjuli17]

So he is also a composer, great! I like the beginning of the song very much.

[serenaluce]

@SuperNvt Absolutely! You don't have to know the language. Music is the universal language! But you know what? I'm learning Greek now. I thought it's already impossible, but when I understand more words it sounds even more beautiful to me than before! Such is beautiful and mysterious language! I also recommend you to listen to Spanos's another composition Desire. I've already learned it by heart:-). It also sounds even more beautiful to me now than a year ago:-)

[SuperNvt]

I think when people listen to this singer they don t need to know any language.Everything is clear!His singing brings harmony to our hearts and souls!

[serenaluce]

@MegaVladislava I agree, rarest timbre!!! Brilliant performance!!! For those who don't understand Russian:-)

[MegaVladislava]

Редчайший тембр!!! Прекрасное исполнение!!!

[serenaluce]

@birjanka Znaete, ya seichas pereslushala Desires. Sami slova kak-budto by nichego takogo radostnogo ne predveshayut, no eto takie chuvstvennye i neobychnye stikhi, i vmeste s ochen' krasivoi muzykoi Spanosa i zavorazhivayushei krasotoi ne ostavlyayut chuvstva bezyskhodnosti. Mne vot kazhetsya, chto i poet, i kompozitor khotyat skazat', chto esli na dannyi moment eti zhelaniya ostalis' ne udovletvorennymi, to v dal'neishem oni vse-taki budet udovletvoreny. Ya slushu nadezhdu i optimizm, a vy?

[serenaluce]

@birjanka Vot vidite, v etom vashi vkusy sovpali:-), khotya soglasna: vse zavisit ot nastroeniya. Zdes' bol'she glubiny i svetloi pechali, a tam bol'she zavorazhivayushei, vsepogloshayushei krasoty dlya bolee radostnykh momentov, chto li...

[birjanka]

Мне больше понравилось "Since nine o'clock", об этом свидетельствует мой комментарий.)) Хотя по большому счету все зависит от настроения, от внутреннего настроя...