The legendary “Canto General” historic meeting point of the magnificent poetry of the Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda with the music of the Greek composer Miki Theodorakis, presented in the Conservatory of Herod of Atticus, on Tuesday 17 July, at 21:00 at night, in the context of the Athens Festival.
In the Roman Conservatory, at the base of the Acropolis, its original performers “Canto General”, Maria Farandouri and Petros Pandis will perform excerpts from the oratorio.
They are joined by the ERT Choir under the direction of Dimitris Bouzani and the Athens Municipality Choir under the direction of Stavros Beri.
The fifteen-member orchestra is conducted by chief musician Loukas Karytinos.
Excerpts from Neruda's poetic work, rendered in Greek by Danae Stratigopoulos, reads the actor Tasos Nousias.
The production bears the signature of the Athens Music Hall.
“Of all my works, the Canto General is an oasis, a folk work that blends two cultures” he said, including, Mikis Theodorakis during a press conference.
“This concert is a distinct political event, especially at this time when our country is going through a difficult time, where economic and social issues are mainly at the forefront.
The real resistances of the people have taken second place, the art – where we are truly pioneers and fear no one -, which is the real shield for the Greek people” said Mikis Theodorakis.
“This is beginning to be understood by various groups of artists.
An ideology begins to awaken.
The period of certainty and sleepiness is over.
The worst thing happening to us right now is the psychological pressure.
The Greek can no longer bear to feel that he is in the middle and being cursed, they hurt him and beat him in his pride.
On the other, the way out is constantly being sought in new economic measures…
At some point this whole situation will pass and the only ones who will be remembered are you 2-3 men of art and science” added the composer.
Commenting on today's socio-political conditions, Mikis Theodorakis reported that “seizure is a communicable disease.
Someone has to be found to say we don't want to be associated with this whole financial system.
Where has our national pride gone?;
This concert is the first step of a real resistance to all that is happening to us”.
The “Canto General” set to music by Mikis Theodorakis 1972 in Paris.
Pablo Neruda, Ambassador of Chile to France for that time, was present at the first rehearsals of the play, which were made in a Parisian studio.
A year later, the 1973, the work was scheduled to be performed in Chile at a concert dedicated to the struggle of the Greek people against the Dictatorship in Greece, in the presence of Salvador Allende and Pablo Neruda.
This concert never happened, the Pinochet coup drenched Chile in blood.
Source : radar.gr
