Athens probably has the most long-standing and impressive cultural heritage of any city in Europe. However, this pedigree is not confined to past greatness - 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.
The Ministry of Culture’s website (
www.cultureguide.gr) has full listings
for forthcoming cultural events throughout Greece (predominantly in Athens).
During the summer, tickets for all performances included within the Athens Festival and the Athens International Jazz and Blues Festival are sold at the
Hellenic Festival Box Office, Panepistimiou 39 (tel: 210 327 2000; website:
www.greekfestival.gr), which is open Monday to Friday 0830-1600 and Saturday 0900-1400. Tickets to other cultural events are available direct from the venue box offices.
Music: Many tavernas, particularly in the Pláka, put on music and dance shows for tourists at night. However, more authentic Greek music in Athens is
rembétika (a kind of Greek blues, developed by refugees from Asia Minor in the 1920s; see
Live Music in
Nightlife).
The city’s major orchestra is the
Athens State Orchestra, who hold many of their performances at the
Mégaron Mousikis Athenon (Athens Concert Hall), Leofóros Vassilissis Sofías (tel: 210 728 2333; website:
www.megaron.gr). This modern venue hosts ballet, opera and classical music events, as well as conferences and exhibitions. The
Greek National Opera (website:
www.nationalopera.gr) is based at the
Olympia Theater, Akadimias 59-61 (tel: 210 361 2461), which also hosts operas and musical events performed by touring companies and musicians.
Theater: The tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripedes, and the comedies of Aristophanes represent the highpoints of ancient Greek theater and heralded the birth of Western drama. The original performances were held in the
Théatro Dionysou (Theater of Dionysos), on the southern slopes of the Acropolis (see
Key Attractions). Nearby, the
Odion Iródou Attikou (Odeon of Herod Atticus) is a Roman theater from the second century AD, also known as the
Herodeion (call Hellenic Festival Box Office, see above). 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 theater, on Lykavittós Hill (tel: 210 722 7209), hosts a range of plays and concerts throughout the summer.
The
National Theater of Greece (tel: 210 528 8100; website:
www.n-t.gr) encompasses five theater groups, which are based at Agiou Konstantinou 24-26 and Panepistimiou 48.
Dance: The
Dora Stratou Dance Theater (tel: 210 324 4395) was founded 35 years ago by a dancer and devotee of Greek folk culture. Each evening May to September, the troupe, dressed in traditional costume, puts on a show of exuberant Greek song and dance at an open-air theater on
Filopáppou (Philopapps Hill), opposite the Acropolis. The
National Ballet Company also performs in the Olympia Theater (see
Music above).
Film: Athens may not be Hollywood but, with well over 100 traditional and modern cinemas throughout the city, the Greek capital is an excellent place to see a film. Many are closed in summer when dozens of open-air screens take over to create impromptu cinemas, such as
Cine Paris, Kidathinaion 22, Plaka (tel: 210 324 8057),
Cine Psirri, Sari 40, Psirri (tel: 210 324 7234), and
Thission, Apostolou Paylou 7, Thissio (tel: 210 347 0980
or 342 0864).
Asty, Korai 4, off Panepistimou (tel: 210 321 4775) shows art house movies. Films are shown in the original language.
One of the most respected Greek film directors is Theo Angelopoulos whose credits include the 1995 film
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. Another director to watch out for is Michael Cacoyannis - director of
Zorba the Greek (1962). However, for many people the all-time classic remains
Never on Sunday (1960), filmed in the Piraeus Port area, directed by Jules Dassin and starring Melina Mercouri as a hooker with a heart of gold.
Literary Notes: This 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.
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, as well as 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 the tragedies:
Prometheus Bound and the
Oresteia (fifth century BC) trilogy by Aeschylus,
Antigone,
Oedipus Rex and
Electra (fifth century BC) by Sophocles,
Trojan Women and
Iphigeneia in Taurus (fifth century BC) by Euripedes; and the comedies:
The Frogs and
The Birds (fifth century BC) by Aristophanes.
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 WWII. The Nobel Prize winner Odysseus Elytis died in Athens in 1996. His poems can be read in English in
The Collected Poems of Odysseus Elytis. Dinner with Persephone (1997) by the American poet Patricia Storace is an amusing glimpse of life in modern day Athens.
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