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	Diamanda Galás Greek Tragedy: Diamanda Galas Visits Ancestral Home, Performs Her 'Plague Mass' Before 3,500 Bay Area Reporter October 17, 1991 Page 39 by Michael Flanagan I've been a fan and supporter of Diamanda Galas for a number of years and in the past few years have assisted her - mostly as a researcher - in the development of her Plague Mass. Although I have been to many of her concerts before, when Diamanda announced that she was going to perform the Mass in her ancestral home, Greece, I decided that this was definitely on not to miss. Diamanda's performances have always been dramatic, but now she was to perform in the land of Dionysus - god of theater and divine madness. This is also the land of the bloody stories of Oedipus and Medea, the perfect setting for the blood rite of the Plague Mass. I arrived in Athens on Aug. 24, the day of the concert. The Lycabettus Theater is in an ampitheatre atop a hill which overlooks Athens. The only spot which is higher in the city is the Greek Orthodox church that overlooks the theatre. Black librettos of the Plague Mass were distributed through the packed theater with articles on Diamanda and a press release in Greek. The performance was incredible, practically beyond words. Whereas the performance of the Plague Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York last was solemn and moving, the performance at the Lycabettus was a cathartic pagan ritual, howling with anger and pain. This was wholly appropriate as earlier traditions are often invoked by modern religions. Context can add or detract from a concert, an in this instance the space provide an almost eerie host. Lyrics from 'Were You a Witness' and 'Let Us Praise The Masters of Slow Death' were sung in both Greek and English. Each time the crowd was on its feet roaring their approval and recognition. 'This Is The Law of the Plague' began atop a platform. Smoke, lit red, created a vortex around her, evoking goddesses of anger and vengeance such as the Erinyes and Hecate. Diamanda moved to the foot of the stage and crouched, flagellating the stage with her hair, calling to mind the mourning of Demeter over Persephone. I could feel the emotions sweeping off of the stage in much the same way that early theatre pieced in Greece used masks to transmit feeling throughout the audience. This feeling of masking was also conveyed as Diamanda ensanguined herself during the performance. During the Consecration and Lamentations the ceremonial blood dripped from her hands and blew into the crowds who were huddling at stageside. The performance ended with the Miroloya (Greek Dirge) with the translated title "Deliver Me," a work with lyrics by Diamanda's father which mourns the loneliness of living without dead family and friends. Like all other pieces sung in Greek, this had the audience on its feet. The crowd of 3,500 or so was an incredible mix of people, much more diverse than you would find at a typical concert in the U.S. There was a mix of ages with people well into their sixties. Many people appeared to be well cultured. This observation was confirmed later by Diamanda, who told me that there were Greek playwrights, filmmakers and actors in attendance. Many told her that they felt her work echoed the roots of Greek tragedy, both in its rage and its art. Several Greek AIDS activists attended as well, many of whom stopped backstage after the concert. One wanted literature from the U.S. to start an Athens chapter of ACT UP. He told us that the Greek government had artificially underestimated the number of persons with AIDS in Greece starting in 1988, and was simply adding 100 people per year to the total number of cases. Other activists told Diamanda how important it was to bring this issue to the attention of the Greek public (it seems that several plays about AIDS have been closed shortly after opening in Athens). Following the performance I waited with family and friends backstage. Many of her relatives had come from Mani, a remote region in southern Greece, and Diamanda had not seen them for some time. Mani is notable as a region where, while were at sea during the Greek war of independence, the Turks invaded and were fought off by the women. Diamanda's relatives were estatic about the performance, feeling that it fulfilled their expectations within the scope of Greek theatre. One relative was a medical professional. She felt that it was particularly appropriate that Diamanda should address this "forbidden" topic. The next day Diamanda had to give several interviews. She had already given over 30 interviews to magazines that were the equivalent of Stern, Time, and Time Out. I met with her again on the evening of Aug. 25 with a writer from 'Alternative Press'. Diamanda had just experienced a very bizarre encounter with a 'jet-set' reporter from the Greek equivalent of 'Interview' who as looking for dirt to dish on the new 'AIDS-star.' The woman asked Diamanda a series of very insulting questions such as "What does it feel like to be naked onstage?"; "Have you undergone cosmetic surgery"; and "Are you and exhibitionist?" The last straw came when the woman asked Diamanda, "We know your brother died of AIDS. Was he a drug abuser or a homosexual?" Diamanda responded, "Since he isn't here to answer that question, I think it should go unanswered," and promptly ended the interview. Later that evening we looked at some articles on Diamanda and the Mass in Greek magazines such as Marie Claire and the Greek communist newspaper. The articles were previews of the concert, alerting the public that this concert was of political import, and that they should attend. One common theme of local coverage of Diamanda's concert was that she was performing an 'exorcism' in Greece, to deal with the country's experience of the AIDS epidemic. The papers also referred to an incident which occured last year after a concert in Italy at the Palace of the Medici's. Italian government officials said that her performance was 'more scandalous than Madonna' and was 'true blasphemy.' Diamanda decided that it was time to leave Athens (besides the strange interview, she was getting non-stop messages at the hotel). She went to visit her relatives in Mani, which she later told me reminded her of the Mexican desert with gun towers. I saw her again on Aug. 27 when she told me that she was planning a return concert to the Greek Isles. She was also considering a concert in Turkey, where she could publicize human rights abuses against Turkish gays.

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plague mass reviews

Diamanda Galás

Greek Tragedy: Diamanda Galas Visits Ancestral Home, Performs Her 'Plague Mass' Before 3,500

Bay Area Reporter October 17, 1991 Page 39

by Michael Flanagan

I've been a fan and supporter of Diamanda Galas for a number of years and in the past few years have assisted her - mostly as a researcher - in the development of her Plague Mass. Although I have been to many of her concerts before, when Diamanda announced that she was going to perform the Mass in her ancestral home, Greece, I decided that this was definitely on not to miss.

Diamanda's performances have always been dramatic, but now she was to perform in the land of Dionysus - god of theater and divine madness. This is also the land of the bloody stories of Oedipus and Medea, the perfect setting for the blood rite of the Plague Mass.

I arrived in Athens on Aug. 24, the day of the concert. The Lycabettus Theater is in an ampitheatre atop a hill which overlooks Athens. The only spot which is higher in the city is the Greek Orthodox church that overlooks the theatre. Black librettos of the Plague Mass were distributed through the packed theater with articles on Diamanda and a press release in Greek.

The performance was incredible, practically beyond words. Whereas the performance of the Plague Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York last was solemn and moving, the performance at the Lycabettus was a cathartic pagan ritual, howling with anger and pain. This was wholly appropriate as earlier traditions are often invoked by modern religions. Context can add or detract from a concert, an in this instance the space provide an almost eerie host.

Lyrics from 'Were You a Witness' and 'Let Us Praise The Masters of Slow Death' were sung in both Greek and English. Each time the crowd was on its feet roaring their approval and recognition.

'This Is The Law of the Plague' began atop a platform. Smoke, lit red, created a vortex around her, evoking goddesses of anger and vengeance such as the Erinyes and Hecate. Diamanda moved to the foot of the stage and crouched, flagellating the stage with her hair, calling to mind the mourning of Demeter over Persephone.

I could feel the emotions sweeping off of the stage in much the same way that early theatre pieced in Greece used masks to transmit feeling throughout the audience. This feeling of masking was also conveyed as Diamanda ensanguined herself during the performance.

During the Consecration and Lamentations the ceremonial blood dripped from her hands and blew into the crowds who were huddling at stageside. The performance ended with the Miroloya (Greek Dirge) with the translated title "Deliver Me," a work with lyrics by Diamanda's father which mourns the loneliness of living without dead family and friends. Like all other pieces sung in Greek, this had the audience on its feet.

The crowd of 3,500 or so was an incredible mix of people, much more diverse than you would find at a typical concert in the U.S. There was a mix of ages with people well into their sixties. Many people appeared to be well cultured. This observation was confirmed later by Diamanda, who told me that there were Greek playwrights, filmmakers and actors in attendance. Many told her that they felt her work echoed the roots of Greek tragedy, both in its rage and its art.

Several Greek AIDS activists attended as well, many of whom stopped backstage after the concert. One wanted literature from the U.S. to start an Athens chapter of ACT UP. He told us that the Greek government had artificially underestimated the number of persons with AIDS in Greece starting in 1988, and was simply adding 100 people per year to the total number of cases. Other activists told Diamanda how important it was to bring this issue to the attention of the Greek public (it seems that several plays about AIDS have been closed shortly after opening in Athens).

Following the performance I waited with family and friends backstage. Many of her relatives had come from Mani, a remote region in southern Greece, and Diamanda had not seen them for some time. Mani is notable as a region where, while were at sea during the Greek war of independence, the Turks invaded and were fought off by the women. Diamanda's relatives were estatic about the performance, feeling that it fulfilled their expectations within the scope of Greek theatre.

One relative was a medical professional. She felt that it was particularly appropriate that Diamanda should address this "forbidden" topic.

The next day Diamanda had to give several interviews. She had already given over 30 interviews to magazines that were the equivalent of Stern, Time, and Time Out.

I met with her again on the evening of Aug. 25 with a writer from 'Alternative Press'. Diamanda had just experienced a very bizarre encounter with a 'jet-set' reporter from the Greek equivalent of 'Interview' who as looking for dirt to dish on the new 'AIDS-star.' The woman asked Diamanda a series of very insulting questions such as "What does it feel like to be naked onstage?"; "Have you undergone cosmetic surgery"; and "Are you and exhibitionist?"

The last straw came when the woman asked Diamanda, "We know your brother died of AIDS. Was he a drug abuser or a homosexual?" Diamanda responded, "Since he isn't here to answer that question, I think it should go unanswered," and promptly ended the interview.

Later that evening we looked at some articles on Diamanda and the Mass in Greek magazines such as Marie Claire and the Greek communist newspaper. The articles were previews of the concert, alerting the public that this concert was of political import, and that they should attend.

One common theme of local coverage of Diamanda's concert was that she was performing an 'exorcism' in Greece, to deal with the country's experience of the AIDS epidemic.

The papers also referred to an incident which occured last year after a concert in Italy at the Palace of the Medici's. Italian government officials said that her performance was 'more scandalous than Madonna' and was 'true blasphemy.'

Diamanda decided that it was time to leave Athens (besides the strange interview, she was getting non-stop messages at the hotel). She went to visit her relatives in Mani, which she later told me reminded her of the Mexican desert with gun towers. I saw her again on Aug. 27 when she told me that she was planning a return concert to the Greek Isles. She was also considering a concert in Turkey, where she could publicize human rights abuses against Turkish gays.