From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For people named Herodion, see
Herodion
. For the archaeological site in the West Bank, see
Herodium
.
Odeon in Athens, Greece
The
Odeon of Herodes Atticus
(Greek: Ωδε?ο Ηρ?δου του Αττικο?; also called
Herodeion
or
Herodion
;
[1]
Greek: Ηρ?δειο) is a
stone
Roman theatre
[2]
structure located on the southwest slope of the
Acropolis of Athens
, Greece. The building was completed in AD 161 and then renovated in 1950.
Ancient times
[
edit
]
It was built in AD 161 by
Herodes Atticus
in memory of his Roman wife,
Aspasia Annia Regilla
. It was originally a steep-sloped
theatre
with a three-story stone front wall and a wooden roof made of expensive
cedar of Lebanon
timber. It was used as a
venue
for music concerts with a capacity of 5,000. It lasted intact until it was destroyed and left in ruins by the
Heruli
in AD 267.
Modern events
[
edit
]
The audience stands and the
orchestra
(stage) were restored using
Pentelic marble
in the 1950s. Since then it has been the main venue of the
Athens Festival
, which runs from May through October each year, featuring a variety of acclaimed Greek as well as International performances.
In 1957,
Maria Callas
performed at the Odeon as part of the Athens Festival and in the same year
Edith Hamilton
was pronounced an honorary citizen of Athens at ninety years of age. In May 1962
Frank Sinatra
gave two
benefit concerts
for the city of Athens. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus was the venue for the
Miss Universe 1973
pageant. Another memorable performance at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus was given by the Greek singer
Nana Mouskouri
in 1984; after 20 years of absence she returned to her country.
Luciano Pavarotti
performed at the Odeon twice, in 1991 and in 2004.
Vangelis
'
Mythodea
premiered at Odeon of Herodes Atticus in July 1993 and the venue hosted
Yanni
's
Live at the Acropolis
performance in September 1993.
Sting
performed at the venue during his
Mercury Falling
Tour on May 17, 1996. In June 2018 he returned for two more concerts.
[3]
Mario Frangoulis
has performed at the historic theatre with
Yannis Markopoulos
' and directed by
Elias Malandris
, Orpheus in 1996 and also played the role of Erotokritos in his work based on
Vitsentzos Kornaros
'
Erotokritos
. He also performed 'Axion Esti' poem by
Odysseus Elytis
music by
Mikis Theodorakis
and conducted by the composer himself in May 1998 to benefit
Elpida Foundation
for children suffering from cancer.
Elton John
performed two concerts at the venue during his
Medusa tour
in 2000. In June 2008,
Sylvie Guillem
performed
Bolero
in company with the
Tokyo Ballet
as part of the Athens Festival. In September 2010, tenor
Andrea Bocelli
held a concert at the Odeon to raise funds for
cancer research
. In 2012, Mario Frangoulis performed the leading role in
Carl Orff
's
Carmina Burana
at the Herodes Atticus theatre. In 2020 the first art exhibition was held on the site, by Greek artist Dionisis Kavallieratos, entitled 'Disoriented Dance / Misled Planet' organised by NEON Organization and the
Athens and Epidaurus Festival
.
[4]
In June 2024,
Coldplay
shot the music video for the single, "
Feels Like I'm Falling in Love
".
[5]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
The Biggest Cultural Event of the Year in Athens and It’s In Our Backyard!
, 3/2/2018, "known locally as the Herodion"
- ^
One variation of the Roman theater was the odeon, a small, completely roofed theater intended for poetry readings and music performances (for example, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus on the southern slope of the Athenian Acropolis).
For more see: PhD. Christoph Hocker, Architecture, Concise History Series,
Laurence King Publishing
, 2000,
ISBN
1856691594
, p. 23.
- ^
"Sting at Herodion Atticus"
.
www.athensinsider.com
.
- ^
www.dandelion-burdock.com, dandelion & burdock.
"Dionisis Kavallieratos: Disoriented Dance / Misled Planet"
.
thisistomorrow
. Retrieved
2021-02-11
.
- ^
mkatopodi (2024-06-10).
"Coldplay To Shoot Music Vid At Herodes Atticus Odeon"
.
tovima.com
. Retrieved
2024-06-17
.
External links
[
edit
]
Media related to
Theatre of Herodes Atticus
at Wikimedia Commons
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37°58′15″N
23°43′28″E
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37.970756°N 23.724444°E
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37.970756; 23.724444