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Culture

Athens probably has the most long-standing and impressive cultural heritage of any city in Europe. This pedigree is not confined to past greatness; the city has a number of international performance groups, and a continued enthusiasm for the arts is expressed annually at the Athens Festival. In 1985, Athens became the first European city of culture. The idea to showcase the cultural achievements of cities around the continent was conceived by Melina Mercouri, a Greek actress turned politician. In addition to the venues detailed below, a variety of English-language cultural events are also on offer at the British Council, Plateía Kolonáki 17 (tel: (01) 363 3211; fax: (01) 363 4769), or at the Hellenic American Union, Massalías 22 (tel: (01) 362 9886; fax: (01) 363 3174). Metropolitan Radio Athens (98.4FM) broadcasts a listing of cultural events in English daily at 0730 and 2030.

Music: Many tavernas, particularly in the Pláka, put on music and dance shows at night. Most shows are designed for tourists but are lively and entertaining nonetheless. The more authentic Greek music in Athens consists of dhimotiká - folk songs accompanied by guitar, clarinet and violin - and rembÉtika. The latter is a kind of Greek blues, developed by refugees from Asia Minor in the 1920s. The music combines Middle Eastern and Greek influences and the lyrics deal with the lives of the city's poor and outcast.

The city's major classical music groups are the Athens State Orchestra and the Greek National Opera. The orchestra holds many of its performances at the MÉgaron Mousikis Athenon (Athens Concert Hall), Leofóros Vassilissis Sofías (tel: (01) 728 2333). This modern venue hosts ballet, opera and classical music events as well as conferences and exhibitions. The main auditorium seats 2000, and there is also a 500-seat recital hall named after the Greek conductor and composer Dimitri Mitropoulos. The Greek National Opera is based at the Olympia Theatre, Akadimias 59-61 (tel: (01) 361 2461), which also hosts operas and musical events performed by touring companies and musicians.

Theatre: The tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripedes, and the comedies of Aristophanes represent the highpoints of ancient Greek theatre and heralded the birth of Western drama. The original performances were held in the ThÉatro Dionysou (Theatre of Dionysos) on the southern slopes of the Acropolis. This stone auditorium from the fourth century BC held 17,000 spectators and remains one of the most atmospheric of Athens' ancient sites. The ruins are open daily 0830-1430. Nearby, the Odion Iródou Attikou (Odeon of Herod Atticus; tel: (01) 323 2771) is a Roman theatre from the second century AD, also known as the Herodeion. The auditorium is usually only open on summer evenings for the Athens Festival when it provides an impressive setting for performances of music and Classical drama. The outdoor Lykavittós theatre on Lykavittós Hill (tel: (01) 722 720/33) hosts a range of plays and concerts throughout the summer. Altogether, there are around 50 theatres in Athens performing between October and May. However, visitors without fluent Greek may be restricted to the English-language performances of touring companies.

Dance: The Dora Stratou Dance Theatre (tel: (01) 324 4395) was founded 35 years ago by a dancer and devotee of Greek folk culture. In summer the troupe, dressed in traditional costume, puts on a show of exuberant Greek song and dance at an open-air theatre on Filopáppou (Philopapps Hill). The National Ballet Company performs in the Olympia Theatre (see Music section).

Film: Athens may not be Hollywood, but the city is an excellent place to see a film with hundreds of traditional and modern cinemas throughout the city. Many are closed in summer when dozens of open-air screens take over to create impromptu cinemas. About 90% of films are shown in the original language. The local press provides listings of English-language films.

One of the most respected Greek film directors is Theo Angelopoulos whose credits include To Vlemma tou Odyssea (Ulysses' Gaze) starring Harvey Keitel. His 1998 film Mia Aioniotita ke Mia Mera (Eternity and a Day) won the Palme D'Or at the 51st Cannes Film Festival. Other directors to watch out for are Michael Cacoyannis - director of Zorba the Greek (1962), Alexis Damianos, Kostas Ferris, Pandelis Voulgaris, Tonia Marketaki and Nikos Panayotopoulos.

Cultural events: The Athens Festival takes place every summer. This major international festival was inaugurated in 1955 and combines music, modern and classical theatre, and contemporary and traditional dance. Venues for the festival are the Herod Atticus Theatre, the open-air theatre on Lykavittós Hill, the Veákio amphitheatre in Piraeus and the amphitheatre at Epidaurus. The Athens Festival box office, Stadiou 4 (tel: (01) 322 1459), is open Monday to Saturday 0830-1400 and 1700-1900 and Sunday 1030-1300. Unsold tickets are available from 1800 at the Herod Atticus Theatre box office on the evening of the performance. The Athens International Jazz and Blues Festival takes place in June; tickets are available from the Athens Festival box office.

Literary Notes
The classical city is most closely revisited through the classical authors. Of particular interest are The Histories (fifth century BC) by Herodotus, The Rise and Fall of Athens (first century) by Plutarch, and History of the Peloponnesian War (fifth century BC) by Thucydides. More recent accounts of the city include The Longest Night - Chronicles of a Dead City (1985), a collection of stories by Petros Haris evoking the atmosphere in Athens during World War II. The Greek myths provide an essential background to the achievements of Classical Athens; the most celebrated sources being the Iliad and the Odyssey (ninth century BC) by Homer and works by Hesiod. Classical drama is at its best on stage, but is also available to read in translation. Some of the most important works include Prometheus Bound and the Oresteia (fifth century BC) trilogy by Aeschylus, Antigone, Oedipus Rex and Electra by Sophocles (fifth century BC), Trojan Women and Iphigeneia in Taurus (fifth century BC) by Euripedes and The Frogs and The Birds (fifth century BC) by Aristophanes.

The Noble Prize winner, Odysseus Elytis, died in Athens in 1996. His poems can be read in English in The Collected Poems of Odysseus Elytis.





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