19 July 2008 – 4 September 2008
"We come weeping into the world, the great stage of fools" — King Lear, William Shakespeare
The Naxos Festival, for the eighth consecutive year, travels to the border between art and life. This year, our interest is focused on the encounter between art and madness, in all its forms. It includes the art exhibition “Psychotopia” and a series of selected theater, music and dance performances, most of which are commissioned by the Festival. In this year's event, cases such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Daniel Paul Schreber, Camille Claudel, Robert Schumann, Vaslav Nijinsky, Giannoulis Halepas coexist in a dialogical manner. The question “Why are all exceptional people melancholic” remains unanswered centuries later, and perhaps more relevant than ever.
Stelios Krasanakis, Artistic Director — Marios Vazaios, Production Management
VISUAL ARTS “Psychotopia – Performances and representations of the inner scene” July 19 – September 4, 2008 | Daily, 10:00–17:00 | Opening: Sat. 19/7, 20:30
Works by Giannoulis Halepas (from the National Gallery and Soutzos Museum), Klaus Pfeiffer, Greek award-winning painters from the Psychiatric Hospital of Thessaloniki, French artists from the Centre Hospitalier Sud Francilien (Paris) and the collection of Lundbeck Hellas. Video: Katerina Koskina. Curator: Pavlos Vasiliadis. Organization: Marios Vazaios.
THEATER & DANCE
“The Schreber case” by Caryl Churchill | Sun. 3/8 & Mon. 4/8 | Pyrgos Bazaios Naxos Festival Production. First presentation. Direction: Stelios Krasanakis. Set-costumes: Nikos Alexiou. Performance: Kostas Zacharakis, Yiannis Kourkoumelis. Judge's voice: Vasilis Papavasiliou.
“La vague de la folie” | Mon. 28/7 | Pyrgos Bazeou Theatrical performance about Camille Claudel. Starring Jany Gastaldi. Directed by: Sophie Loucachevsky. In French with Greek surtitles. Under the auspices of the French Embassy.
“January 3, 1889” | Sun. 10/8 & Mon. 11/8 | Bazei Tower Musical theater performance about the last days of Nietzsche's "logic". First presentation. Piano: Philippos Tsalahouris. Interpretation: Akis Lyris, Evanthia Kourmouli.
“The Sky is Crimson” by Loula Anagnostaki | Tue. 12/8 | Bazaios Tower Performed by: Reni Pittaki. Directed by: Nikos Hatzopoulos. Produced by the Athens Festival.
“readiness exercises” | Fri. 22/8 | Pyrgos Bazeou Dance. Tribute to Vaslav Nijinsky. Direction-choreography: Petros Gallias. Performance: Panagiotis Argyropoulos, Pavlos Stathakis, Nontas Damopoulos, Petros Gallias.
“Stories with Echoes” | Sun. 24/8 | Bazeou Tower Interactive theatrical performance. Group "Playback Ψ". Direction: Lambros Giotis. Music: Katerina Elositou.
MUSIC
Elli Paspala – “Every Crazy Child” | Sat. 26/7 | Bazeo Tower Songs by Hadjidakis, Tsitsanis, Kalantzopoulos, Piovani, Waits, Lennon, Weil, etc. Piano: Stavros Lantsias.
Elena Frolova – Recital | Thu. 31/7 | Bazaios Tower Voice and guitar. Madness in Russian poetry and music — Tsvetaeva, Akhmatova, Brodsky, Lorca, Cavafy, Verlaine. First appearance in Greece.
George-Emmanuel Lazaridis – Piano recital | Thu. 7/8 | Bazeos Tower Works by Robert Schumann. Introduction-discussion with the composer George Koumendakis.
"Winter Swimmers" | Sat. 16/8 | Pyrgos Bazeou Argyris Bakirtzis (vocals), Kostas Vomvolos (accordion, kanunaki), Michalis Siganidis (double bass, mandolin), Thodoris Relos (saxophone, clarinet), Kostas Sideris (guitar, tzouras), Giorgos Tamkatzoglou (guitar), Haris Papadopoulos (bouzouki).
FOR CHILDERN
“Come and discover music” | Sat. 9/8 | 20:00 | Bazeou Tower With Naxos musician Alexandros Kalogeras (Berklee College of Music). After the performance, the children try out the instruments.
Organization: AION Cultural Organization | Artistic Direction: Stelios Krasanakis | Production Direction: Marios Vazaios