Favorite sons reign in European Culture Capital’s latest events
How could the city of Patras, as European Cultural Capital, fail to invite Raining Pleasure, its very own children, to perform at its series of events? Naturally, it couldn’t. The popular pop-rock band (whose songs are in English) will be performing tonight, on Music Day, at the city’s Roman Odeon. Their program, they said at a recent press conference, will be «all-inclusive,» and they will not be alone. Raining Pleasure will be accompanied by the Amadeus Ensemble of Sofia in a musical experiment that transcends the usual concert fare. «What we want to achieve is the happy coexistence of our compositions with a classical orchestra, and I think we have achieved this,» said Vassilikos, the band’s frontman. «The concert we will be performing is very special and we have been planning for a long time. We have also tried recording it, but this is the first time it will be played live. I would also like to add that there is something of a theatrical event included in the show. It really is a very special program that promises to be different and interesting, a bold undertaking that runs for an hour-and-a-half and covers the entire breadth of our recording career from 1996 to the present,» added the musician. Following several years spent on the local scene’s sidelines, despite the obvious talent inherent in the band’s early indie-label releases, Raining Pleasure suddenly struck wider success in 2000 with the major-label debut album «Flood.» The act’s rising popularity was given a major boost when a track off «Flood» was used for a local telephone company’s advertising campaign, giving the aspiring Patras-based band national exposure. Since then, the group has taken its appealing, carefully produced pop-rock material from small venues to larger concert venues, including the open-air Lycabettus Theater. In a more recent project, Raining Pleasure released their well-received version of «Reflections,» an album featuring the music of late master composer Manos Hadjidakis. ‘Harbor Symphony’ In other events celebrating Music Day in Patras, there will be a concert titled «The Harbor Symphony.» It will take place at 9.30 p.m. at the Aghios Nikolaos Dock and it bears the signature of the renowned Canadian composer Rob Power. The performers are Boy Scouts. «The Harbor Symphony» has been written especially for the ships of the Patras port, where Power will transform the ships’ horns into a well-coordinated floating orchestra. The imposing sound of the horns can be heard for a 10-kilometer radius, but this evening their sound will be a melodious synergy. Boy Scouts will be standing at the ships’ helm and will sound the horns on cue, sending the music of this gigantic floating orchestra from the 2,500-year-old harbor through the streets of Patras. «The Harbor Symphony» was first conceived in 1983 at St John’s, Newfoundland, and was later composed to full scale on a commission for the 1986 Vancouver Expo.
