Welcome, 77 artists, 40 different points of Attica welcomes you by singing Erotokritos an epic romance written at 1713 by Vitsentzos Kornaros
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Greece win in vain, go into play-offs
Greece finish second after Liechtenstein win
Bosnia reaches first World Cup; Greece in playoff
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia qualify for World Cup; Greece, Portugal in playoffs
Athens History Museum Remains Closed
Fourth Industrial Informatics Fest- i2fest 2013
Crown appeals sentence of Vernon lawyer convicted of helping Greeks gangsters
Greece charges French tennis players with 'gang-rape'
NY-based diaspora charity makes large donation for struggling Greeks
Patriarch in northern Greece for Mount Athos celebration
Fires burn less land this year
Fire service data show big drop in land destroyed by fire in 2013
Church to draft three-year plan to curb debt, exploit assets
Municipal police's former officers face tests for places in national force
Join in 'mediation' with Greece over Elgin Marbles, Unesco urges Britain
Greece return to form with Malta triumph
Eight Out of Ten Greeks Slash Heating Expenses
France Honors Greek Artist Alekos Fassianos
Erdogan Uses Halki To Push Mosques
Greece: Back to the Future
Greek digital artist takes home prestigious Lumen prize
Greece outclass Malta U-21
Above & Beyond Go Acoustic at LA's Legendary Greek Theatre
Greek Cypriot President concerned over property sales ahead of talks
Greek government and troika clash over budget deficit
Samaras: Europe has 'no choice' but to unite
Greece expects solidarity from its European neighbours as it continues to struggle through its current economic and social hardships, the prime minister has said.
Speaking in the European Parliament on 15 October, Antonis Samaras said that greater integration and solidarity is needed amongst European Union member states, particularly as many countries are suffering through the crisis unequally, such as Greece.
Samaras said that during the current crisis, there have been “unbelievable sacrifices” made by the Greek people, however, he said that despite that, the majority of the population “believe in solidarity” with their European partners.
He said that “Europe has no choice but to unite” in the face of its current problems.
He said that more integration at an EU level was needed to combat the crisis. “We need more Europe, not less,” he said. “More integration, not less.” He said that initiatives such as a single energy market, a single tax structure and stronger border controls were examples of what was needed from European co-operation. However, he said that integration “does not mean a super bureaucracy.”
Historical and cultural binds, the need to be competitiveness and a sense of solidarity and responsibility were what should lead Europe going forward.
Earlier Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament had made reference to the rise of extremist and populist parties in Europe, such as Golden Dawn in Greece, as potentially making heavy inroads at next years European Parliament elections, saying that disillusionment at with the EU at national level has seen them continue to win many recent elections. Samaras also alluded to the problem briefly, saying, and without naming any particular party of organisation, that the current economic situation has “allowed extremist and populist parties to appear.”
Despite, this, he said, there needs to be a push form the mainstream political establishment to create “a more balanced, social and competitive Europe.”
Weather service warns of storms ahead
Letter From Athens: Re-jailing the Messenger
Russia Eyes Privatization Deals in Greece
Israelis Unhappy Samaras Refused Skullcap
Greek-Australian Children Educated on Greek Crisis
Greece tries rolling over bonds to shore up deficit
ÇiÄŸdem Aslan – review
Vortex, LondonThis Turkish Kurd singer's three-night residency made her sound like one of the year's best new discoveries
Just occasionally, a new artist emerges to throw old music styles into an intriguing contemporary perspective. Çiğdem Aslan is a young Turkish Kurd who was born in Istanbul, lives in London, and until now has been best known for her work with She'koyokh, the upbeat British klezmer band. Her first solo album, Mortissa, concentrates on rebetika, the bravely outspoken "Balkan blues" that flourished back in the early 1920s, the era of enforced mass population movements between Greece and Turkey. Performing these songs at the Vortex, where she gave three shows, she sounds like one of the best British-based discoveries of the year.
Her success is down to her reworking of the old songs with a blend of delicate soulful vocals, subtle theatrics and a stage persona that could switch from stately to slinky and flirtatious. Backed by a nine-piece band that included the baÄŸlama, bouzouki and kanun along with clarinet, she switched between songs in Greek and Turkish (including one with a Turkish title but Greek lyrics) that explained the historic connection between the two communities. These were sturdy, often sentimental songs that used to be sung in the bars or hash houses of Istanbul and Athens, and they were interspersed with well-chosen readings by the actor Philip Arditti, dealing with anything from druggy musicians to the Anatolian wars.
Aslan started with Greek songs, then brought on the excellent She'koyokh band to show how the material might sound with a klezmer/Balkan backing, and ended with a furious Turkish singalong, which led to excited demands for songs in Kurdish from many of her supporters.
This was an emotional musical history of the eastern Mediterranean as seen by a mortissa - an independent woman determined to throw off her veil and have fun.
• Did you catch this gig – or any other recently? Tell us about it using #Iwasthere
Rating: 4/5
World musicTurkeyKurdsMiddle East and North AfricaRobin Denselowtheguardian.com © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds