August 24, 1955
GEORGIOS P. RALLIS: Minister to the Prime Minister Mr Georgios P. Rallis, speaking at today’s opening of the first Athens Festival, emphasized that the government had made every effort to make the festival a success, employing the best talents from Greece and abroad. He also expressed his optimism for the success of the festival, which would contribute to it becoming an annual cultural event. ELENI NIKOLAIDI: This evening at 8.30 p.m. the Athens Festival will open at the Herod Atticus Theater with a concert by the Athens State Orchestra, conducted by Theodoros Vavayiannis, with the distinguished Greek soprano Eleni Nikolaidi of the New York Metropolitan Vienna State operas as soloist. The program includes the following works: «Largo» by Handel-Molinari, «Byzantine Sacrifice» by Petros Petridis, aria from «Alceste» by Gluck, aria from «La Clemenza di Tito» by Mozart, aria from «Orpheus and Eurydice» by Haydn and Symphony No 2 by Sibelius. SIEMENS CONTRACT: The Papagos government unanimously decided yesterday to try to back out of its commitment to the German government for the supply of telecommunications equipment from Siemens, and to hold an international tender.
