GREEK MUSIC AND POETRY TO DELIGHT LISTENERS ON THE OCCASION OF UNITED NATIONS DAY, TO BE CELEBRATED ON 25 OCTOBER

Note to Correspondents

GREEK MUSIC AND POETRY TO DELIGHT LISTENERS ON THE OCCASION

OF UNITED NATIONS DAY, TO BE CELEBRATED ON 25 OCTOBER

A concert by the National Symphony Orchestra of Greece will mark this year’s celebration of United Nations Day on Wednesday, 25 October 2006, at 7 p.m., in the General Assembly Hall.  Since 24 October is Eid Al-Fitr, an official holiday, the concert is being organized the following day.  United Nations Day marks the anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter on 24 October 1945.

The concert is sponsored by the Government of Greece and the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation.  The 62-member National Symphony Orchestra will present the poetry of Odysseus Elytis (Nobel Literature Laureate, 1979), Georges Seferis (Nobel Literature Laureate, 1963) and C. P. Cavafy, set to music by composers Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, Spyros Samaras, Dimitris Laghios and Dimitris Papadimitriou.

The National Symphony Orchestra, since its establishment in 1938, has presented music by Greek and foreign composers in Athenian concert halls, radio and television broadcasts, as well as in cities such as Alexandria, Belgrade, Cairo, Cologne, Istanbul, Montreal and Paris.

The concert will be conducted by Steven White and Andreas Pylarinos, who is the conductor of the Contemporary Symphony Orchestra of the Greek Radio and Television.  Mr. Pylarinos has also conducted major Greek symphony orchestras as well as orchestras in Austria, England, Germany, Italy and the United States.  The internationally renowned tenor, Rolando Villazón, who will be accompanied on piano by Jonathan Kelly and perform as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, has sung with the world’s leading operas; including the Bayerische Staatsoper, in Munich; the Metropolitan Opera, in New York and the Royal, in London.  He will be joined by three soloists from Greece; Foteini Darras; Tasos Apostolou and Andreas Smyrnakis.

In addition to the concert, an exhibition entitled “In Praise of the Olive”, emphasizing the mythology and history of the olive in the Mediterranean region and in Greek culture, is on display  until 25 October 2006 in the North East Gallery of the General Assembly Visitors’ Lobby. The exhibit explores the subject of the olive tree and its fruit at length, covering its role in daily life, habits, customs, social and economic relations, as well as its contribution as an inspiration in various forms of art and as an international symbol of peace.

Tickets to the concert will be made available to United Nations staff members through the Staff Union.  United Nations accredited correspondents can obtain tickets through the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit in Room S-0250A.  For further information on the concert, please contact Nancy Thio at specialprojects2@un.org.

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For information media • not an official record