#rbnews international weekly bulletin 30 March – 05 April 2013

The text companion to this week’s #rbnews international show is now online. You can read it after the jump.

#rbnews international show 09 March 2013: Culture in the time of the crisis, part 3 – Interview with crime fiction writer Petros Markaris

On #rbnews international this week, we continued our series about culture in the time of the crisis. The first two shows focused on theatre and dance; today we moved on to books and had the pleasure to interview Petros Markaris, a Greek crime fiction writer whose latest novel, Bread – Education – Freedom, is the last installment of his Crisis Trilogy. Mr. Markaris told us of his approach to crime fiction, of his thoughts on Athens and Greek society during the crisis, and of his assessment of the impact of the crisis on cultural life.

Special thanks to @amaenad who translated the excerpts of Bread – Education – Freedom that you can hear in the show.

The podcast is available, as usual, after the jump.

#rbnews international show 02 February 2013 – Culture in the time of the crisis (2): The Dance Box at the Greek National Opera

On #rbnews international on 02 February 2013, we continued our series about culture in the time of the crisis in Greece with a show dedicated to dance. We interviewed Renato Zanella (@ZanellaRZ), the head of the ballet company at the Greek National Opera, who launched, among other things, the Dance Box, a bridge programme for unemployed graduates of the Opera’s dance academy. The Dance Box company will be officially presented in a dance gala in the Olympia theatre in Athens on Sunday 03 February.

The pieces of music in the show are excerpts from:

• Gioachino Rossini: Overture of “La Gazza Ladra“
• Johann Strauss, Jr: Tritsch-Tratsch (polka, opus 214), Frühlingstimmer (waltz, opus 410), Klipp-Klapp (gallopade, opus 466),
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Exsultate Jubilate (motet, opus 165).

You can listen to the podcast after the jump.

#rbnews international show 19 January 2013: Culture in the time of the crisis, part 1 – Our Great Circus

On #rbnews international on 19 January 2013, we inaugurated our series about culture in the time of the crisis in Greece with a show dedicated to the play “Our Great Circus”, which is currently staged in the National Theatre of Northern Greece (@NTNGreece) in Thessaloniki. Director Sotiris Chatzakis, actors Tasos Nousias and Marina Aslanoglou, and singer Zaharias Karounis told us about this seminal text of contemporary Greek political theatre, the reasons behind its success in 1973 as well as 2012-2013, and the changes and challenges posed by the crisis to the performing arts scene in Greece.

The music excerpts in the show are the songs composed by Stavros Xarchakos for the play, with the voice of Zaharias Karounis from the 2012-2013 run of the play and Nikos Xylouris from the 1973 run, and “Ta Lianotragouda” from the “Megalo Erotiko” by Manos Hatzidakis.

Special thanks to @northaura, @ippotis_nyktos and @Skoufokokinitsa for helping with the voiceover.

You can listen to the podcast after the jump.