THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN

At “Michael Cacoyannis” Foundation, on Thursday 22nd and on Friday 23rd of December at 21.00 is presented for only 2 performances, a unique work of literature that occupies a special place in the global literature, the “Apocalypse of John”, in poetic version in Modern Greek and music by Nikos Papakostas.

The “Apocalypse of John”, a universal work of literature that moves between the prophesy and the vision, the agony and the transgression, with the poetic version and the music by Nikos Papakostas, but also the direction and narration by George Karamichos, gets a new, different form. Without altering its context or getting arbitrary meanings, it comes one step closer to the religious and nonreligious Greek audience, but through music, and the global, showing all its uniqueness. It shows all its unique power, its multiple symbolisms, the divine magnificence as it is revealed from the visions and the word of John.

Nikos Papakostas pursued to make more understandable to the reader and to the listener an extremely difficult and sometimes grumpy and incomprehensible text and this was the reason that he chose to use at the translation and its poetic rendering a simple, comprehensive and without extremities language.

George Karamichos notes that:  “The Apocalypse of John”, at the new metrical version cared by Nikos Papakostas is an imaginative and also precise poetic view of this rare and archetypal work of literature. Our performance, following the enriched music with traditional and contemporary instruments and motives, hopes to bring out the impressive, dense and full battle of the powers of the original work of literature. The Darkness against the Light, the Demons against the Angels, the human Fear against the primitive Knowledge. Here the elements of nature meet the symbolic elements of the Apocalypse, not only artistically but also interpretatively. Our weapons are the music, the image and word. The sound with its silence and the light with its shadow.”

At the performance, a very significant role play the artistic creations by Ioannis Vlazakis, the light designs by Christina Thanasoula and the sound effects by Ilias Lakkas that form a contemporary, impressive stage environment, absolutely matching with the play. Pre-recorded music tracks by Nikos Papakostas embrace and project the poetic word, and are harmoniously entangled with his new compositions, that were especially written for this play, which are played live on stage by the musicians: Maria Rempoutsika, 1st violin, George Konstantinidis, 2nd violin, Filenia Spachi, Cello, Nikos Pitloglou, piano, Kostas Koutsikouris, acoustic guitar.