Cairo Opera House to Host 'Zorba the Greek' Performance Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Tuesday, the Cairo Opera House will host a "Zorba" performance by the iconic Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis on the occasion of the Greek National Day, and the declaration of 2025 as a year to honor Theodorakis. 

The event is organized by the Embassy of Greece in Cairo, in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture, the Cairo Opera House, and the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT).

The concert will be performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, accompanied by the “Acappella” Choir of the Cairo Opera House. 

Mikis Theodorakis, who is not only a cultural but also a political figure, is considered one of the most influential contemporary composers of the second half of the 20th century.

His works include symphonies, oratorios, ballets, operas, chamber music, and solo piano compositions. 

However, his most significant legacy lies in setting the poetry of award-winning Greek and international poets to music, such as Yannis Ritsos, Kostas Varnalis, and Nobel laureates Giorgos Seferis (Nobel Prize in Literature, 1963), Pablo Neruda (1971), and Odysseas Elytis (1979).

Theodorakis gained worldwide fame after composing the widely recognized Zorba the Greek musical theme in 1963 by director Michael Cacoyannis. 

The music transcended the story and film due to its deep emotional resonance and harmony with the film's central character, becoming an authentic expression of the Greek spirit.

Founded in 1938, the National Symphony Orchestra of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation has revived works by prominent composers through recordings and live broadcasts on radio and television, as well as concerts across Greece. 

The orchestra has also performed on historic stages like the Herod Atticus Odeon during the Athens Festival, as well as in Belgrade, the Cairo Opera House, Montreal, Cologne, Paris, and Istanbul, in addition to international events organized with the European Broadcasting Union. 

In October 2006, it held a concert at the United Nations General Assembly Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, and in October 2007, it performed at the opening ceremony of the Greek Cultural Year in China, held at the Beijing Multimedia Theater.

Today, the orchestra is considered one of the most dynamic and accomplished symphonic ensembles in Greece. Since December 2022, it has been conducted by the renowned maestro Michalis Economou.

Regarding the Egyptian Opera House Coral "A Cappella," it was established in 1999, with the aim of performing non-operatic choral works. Its activities were enriched in 2000 through the training of "Maya Gveniria," and the intensive preparations led to significant improvements in its performance. 

The choir plays a major role in the Cairo Symphony Orchestra's concerts, conducted by Maestro "Ahmed Al-Saidi," where it performs both church and symphonic music. One of the highlights of this collaboration is the oratorio "Messiah" by "Handel" in December 2000.

The upcoming event reflects the deep cooperation between the Greek Embassy in Cairo and the Cairo Opera House, reaffirming the cultural collaboration between Greece and Egypt, and a positive and enduring aspect of the strong ties and excellent relations between the two nations and their peoples.