In what has been described as the most important opera event of 2018 acclaimed composer and artistic director of Greece’s National Theater Thodoris Abatzis has chosen the ancient theater of Delos, to hold a double performance of ‘Hera’.

The opera is based on the poem by Nikos Kyriakides – more of an adaptation of it – and apart from the fact that it is being staged at the ruins of the Delean temple, it is set to begin at 5pm local time in the month of October and will last for as long as there is natural light. Moreover, there will be no artificial assistance; no electrical enhancements to the sound, leaving the final outcome in the hands and the vocal capabilities of the cast.

The event will take place on 6 and 7 October 2018 under the auspices of the Municipality of Mykonos and the South Aegean Region in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities. The initiative came from Cycladian lawyer Alexandra Dimou who is also an opera enthusiast.

The mayor of Mykonos announced the establishment of a committee of personalities that will work to prepare the group of creatives and volunteers that will participate in the event; a two-day seminar was organized by Mr Abatzis with the help of playwright author Minas Vintiadis, newgreektv.com reports. The full cast will be announced in the coming weeks.

Hypothesis:

A severely ill mortal reaches Delos island, the birthplace of Apollo, to negotiate the end of his life. Two goddesses of Olympus, Hera and Aphrodite, surprise him with their presence. A philosophical negotiation starts between the fear of mortality and the boredom of immortality, culminating in the union of the “divine” with the “human” and the understanding of the “indivisible” of the divine and human existence.

Source: neoskosmos