The Athens festival is big celebration, which continues the active presence for 56 consecutive summers, which have shown some of the most famous names of the theater, music, dance, the field of music is Mitropoulos and Callas, Sain-Saens and Rostropovits, Pavarotti, Leonidas Kabakos

The Athens festival is big celebration, which continues the active presence for 56 consecutive summers, which have shown some of the most famous names of the theater, music, dance, the field of music is Mitropoulos and Callas, Sain-Saens and Rostropovits, Pavarotti, Leonidas Kabakos and Dimitris Sgouros, Theodorakis, Chatzidakis,Savopoulos, Protopsalti, Ntalara and Marinella. From the theater, Rodiris and Kun, Streler, Peter Hall, the Theater No, even the Peking Opera.

Above all, it is a spiritual adventure, which has undergone many variations, often associated with the recent history of the country. The last few years, has become youthful momentum and an unprecedented outward-looking action.

The festival has a long history, which has its roots in the early ' 50s.In 1955 it was decided to hold a feast Art in Athens by then Minister for Presidency, George exploded on Petrou Ralli Avenue. To achieve this objective was invited by the United States of America the troupe director Ntinos Giannopoulos, who organised the festival based on its own criteria. The theme for the festival was the music and the theater. Office of the feast was established in Kerkyra \"the Herod Atticus Theater.

The Athens festival, throughout the duration of the route, compared with European standards. Reflected the work of Greek artists and its relationship with the rest of the world. When it was dominated by the Greek, triumph stinginess is the zoferos eparchiotismos.Therefore means from peddling, from bold ventures and painful concessions was the greek culture.

Times cosmopolitanism

The festival was put together with a focus on the Irodio trying to connect the historical memory with the events of this. The objective was to emerge as an institution hosting aspects of the art of high, in direct relation to the major cultural events which have occurred in the West,which remain a mystery to our country.

The two main lines of action was the presence of large orchestras and the simultaneous effort to revive the theatrical repertoire of classical antiquity with a contemporary view and perspective. Because of the catalytic presence of Mitropoulos, in the field of music have been torn down many stereotypes and highlighted

new data. Moreover invitations were extended known assemblies,prominent soloists and paid effort for the emergence of Greek authors, such as Skalkotas.

The general test of the Epidaurus Festival was the “Ippolitos of Euripides” directed by Dimitris Rontiri,in 1954. The official opening took place in 1955 with the “Ekavi” directed by Alexis Minotis.Epidaurus competed artists drawing and so is artistic confrontation. For twenty years the state theater participate exclusively.

The pomp of Rontiri, members of the ballroom, to express their collective conscience, executing uniform movements and singing the chorika collectively.When criticized for adopting \"German culture\", the Rontiris replied that source of inspiration was the death dirges and the byzantine music. Alexis Minotis broke an-in his statement; the \"allegiance to the German Sprechchor\" and the uniformity of motion.

Despite the variations adopted by the respective directors, was a single tone. Gifted actors (Katina Paxinou, Μινωτής) and new tragodi (Συνοδινού etc. ) have highlighted and back me up in this classical aesthetic line of National Theater. The part of plastic arts sign director Kleovoulos Kleonis with the architectural volumes and who come within its Antonis Fokas,with the famous were crinkling of's lifejackets wearing actors and dancers.

From the Argolikos theater could not be absent and the top of lyric theater Maria Callas, which interpreted the norm of Bellini (1960) and the “Midia”of Κeroubini (1961).

In 1957 the Theater of Poliklitou welcomed the “Aristophanes”. The style of performances of Attica comedy came from the director Alexis salmon and scene director George Vakalo.The style elements included new classical elegance, drawing scene in aesthetics group with the suits, elements of the vessels, the figurines and the Athenian apokria, lively but harmonized with the space, color.