Hot cultural summer in the city
The city’s political and cultural news is something of a «Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,» with Greece on the verge of a heat wave, President Costis Stephanopoulos on a visit to Australia and New Zealand, Prime Minister Costas Simitis in China, and the country’s open-air theaters putting on one premiere after another. At the air-conditioned Athens Concert Hall, Mikis Theodorakis’s «Song of the Dead Brother,» to lyrics by poet Yiannis Theodorakis, is on tomorrow and Monday. On Thursday night a philanthropic gala was held at the Herod Atticus Theater as part of the Athens Festival, with a performance by the Maurice Bejart Ballet of Lausanne of «Seven Greek Dances» to music by Theodorakis, «Manos,» a tribute to Manos Hadjidakis, and the flamenco-based «Juan y Teresa.» Given in aid of the Elpida Foundation’s drive to build a pediatric oncology hospital, the event drew a packed house, with «pure dance to pure music.» The Bejart Ballet and music by Mikis Theodorakis and the late Manos Hadjidakis were all a great success. Telecoms eased 1.24 percent with index heavyweight OTE Telecom closing 1.22 percent lower at 17.74 euros.
