Popular Greek rocker is set for no-frills show at the Herod Atticus
Vassilis Papaconstantinou, one of the country’s most enduring rock singers, is preparing for a celebratory show at the Herod Atticus Theater on Thursday. «We will sing simply and cheerfully, as if we were playing in any other venue,» he said at a press conference. «There will be no special effects, birthday cakes or anything of the sort. Music is the focus. That will be the main aspect of the concert,» he explained of «The Other Side,» the title of the program he will present. «I don’t like taking things too seriously. I can’t stand serious people, and I mean it,» he said in response to how he plans to present a rather light-hearted concert at a venue normally associated with somewhat high-brow performances. «Why shouldn’t my Herod Atticus Theater audience consist of people aged from six to 70 years old, as is the case when I play in various stadiums? Besides, Aristophanes was staged there and the performances of his plays are always very lively.» The first part of the concert consists of a musical journey through time with well-known Greek ballads. In the second part, Papaconstantinou will select highlights of Greek composers’ works, even folk songs that have the particular color he is looking to convey, which he will interpret in his style. A mostly acoustic concert, electrical references will be used simply to enhance the acoustic feeling or to produce innovative and interesting adaptations on standard themes. Strings will feature very prominently in both parts of the concert. Papaconstantinou’s old rock band will join forces for the first time with the Feminarte women’s chamber orchestra, conducted by Yiannis Georgiadis. Giorgos Kalantzakos is responsible for the orchestration. Papaconstantinou will be joined on stage by vocalists Elsa Afentaki, Eleana Zeginoglou, Elissavet Karatzoli, Stelios Karpathakis and Mary Brozi. Tickets are available at the theater box office and at the Hellenic Festival box office, 39 Panepistimiou, tel 210.928.2900.
