Widely known in the whole of Greece, The Lament of the Virgin Mary is a lengthy medieval poem in rhyming verse, of literary origin and impressively wide popular appeal. Influenced by the relevant passages of the four Gospels and by the hymnography of the Orthodox Church, it is an anthropocentric narrative lamenting Christ’s ordeal and his martyrdom on the crucifix, through the eyes and the emotions of the tragic figure of his mother. Sung by women gathered around the ‘tomb’ of Christ, in the manner and style of the secular laments familiar to them, it expresses their compassion and their identification with the maternal, human side of the Virgin Mary. In this evening’s concert, the entire text of the lament is presented for the first time, combining most of its known variations into a single narrative stream.
