Following the musical stroll along the streets of Athens in memory of Maria Callas, which was attended by at least 5,000 spectators, and the rehearsal of "Madama Butterfly" at Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, the Greek National Opera "sailed away" to the port of Piraeus.
Yesterday afternoon, at the place where ships depart for the Western Cycladic Islands, at pier № 9 of the main port, the orchestra of the Greek National Opera and four outstanding soloists presented an open rehearsal of the first three performances of the season - "Cinderella" by Rossini, "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky and "Rigoletto" by Verdi.
Maestro Jean-Christophe Sharon and soloists Vassilis Kavayas, Vasiliki Karaiani, Irini Kariani and Yiannis Christopoulos, left for a while the closed rehearsal halls of the opera and went down to the sea of Piraeus, in an attempt to give citizens a closer look at opera and its art.
"It was wonderful. I feel that people really enjoy such events. These are initiatives of the National Opera, which are becoming incredibly popular. I believe that this is the best way in which this art can reach more people, and we can show that it is not for just a few, but is beautiful and easy, and that the uninitiated can also watch and understand it. It was the first time that I have participated in such an open event. It was a very interesting experience – I had to focus while ships were passing by. It was a challenge which I believe the audience liked", said Maestro Jean-Christophe Sharon.
Over 1,000 spectators, loyal fans of the National Opera, inhabitants of the area, and many tourists who were fascinated by the sight, enjoyed known musical compositions and heard the Maestro giving instructions to musicians and presenting works without being distracted by the sirens of ships that were entering the port.
Real magic at Thessaloniki
Eleni Karaindrou played piano melodies written for films of Todoros Angelopoulos and dancers from the Ballet of the National Opera and choreographer Renato Zanella created real magic in Thessaloniki on Friday afternoon.
On the occasion of the two performances of the ballet of the National Opera entitled "Journey to Eternity", scheduled for Saturday and Sunday (28 and 29 September) at the Palace of Music in Thessaloniki, participants in the show performed a short happening on the promenade in Thessaloniki, where Todoros Angelopoulos used to make his films.
Over 1,000 spectators cheered the event, which was carried out jointly with the 48th Demetria Festival, the Palace of Music in Thessaloniki and Parallaxi magazine.
Choreographer Renato Zanella
You can see a video from the rehearsal of the National Opera here.