"Lalē (meaning “pebbles”) derives from the Greek verb lalō (“to speak”) and refers to the small stones carried by the waves along the shoreline, whose movement creates a subtle and ever-changing sonic landscape. Rooted in the coastal environment and cultural traditions of Mani, Greece, the work explores the sea as both a physical and symbolic space of memory, connection, and transformation. In its current form, Lalē is conceived as a performance for voice, piano, cello, fixed media, and live electronics. The vocalist occupies a central role, shaping and influencing the electronic processing of the voice in real time, while the instrumental performers respond and adapt to its evolving gestures and expressive qualities. Drawing inspiration from the vocal tradition of the Maniot moirologia (lament songs), the work engages with practices of oral transmission, collective memory, and emotional expression that have long formed part of Mediterranean cultural life. The performance incorporates excerpts and imagery from John Masefield’s poem Sea Fever, whose longing for the sea and the freedom of voyage resonate with the work’s broader themes of movement, belonging, and human interconnectedness. Here, the sea becomes a metaphorical space that transcends geographical boundaries, linking people, histories, and cultures across Europe through shared experiences of migration, memory, loss, and renewal. Combining spoken word, song, electroacoustic textures, environmental recordings, and live electronic processing, Lalē brings together sound, poetry, and tradition within a contemporary performance framework. The work seeks not only to evoke the sonic identity of Mani but also to reflect on the enduring capacity of the sea to unite distant places, voices, and communities.

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