AEF2023: The Fall of the House of Commons

It’s that time of the year again, when Athenians start planning their summer holidays around the programme of the Athens Epidaurus Festival. The leading performing arts festival in Greece, and one of the oldest in Europe, returns between June 1st and August 26th for its 68th edition with a rich programme of events. As always, the main venues are the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the industrial complex of Pireos 260 and the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. Click here for our festival picks or head over to the official website for the full programme.

Does the title of this contemporary opera remind you of anything? It’s a reference to Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher, a short story about an isolated family being driven to madness. The Fall of the House of Commons is the latest production by Alekos Lountzis and Orestis Papaioannou that critiques modern society while using the sounds of everyday life in an apartment. We witness a couple coexisting with robot Erika_7, which is able to rewrite the memory of the house whenever something goes wrong. The soundtrack to this enclosed, private universe merges various genres and focuses on new hybrid trends of 21st century vocal music.