The inertia of habit and the ease of inaction…
Among the worst aspects of modern Greece: It permeates all levels of society and very often leads to negative outcomes. Reversing the prevailing practice is extremely difficult and generates disproportionately strong reactions. It requires ‘guts’ and a cost that no one is willing to bear.
The beginning is usually made with some small ‘opening’ that doesn’t seem all that important. It’s worth remembering that once, before the Dictatorship, access to the Herodion was strictly defined. Events of the old Athens Festival, performances by State Theaters, concerts by the Athens State Orchestra and the Thessaloniki State Orchestra. I remember how the Art Theater almost had to force its way into the venue…
It is assumed that the bad precedent was set during the Junta years when the versatile Nikos Mastorakis organized the International Beauty Pageant there. It is obvious that at the time, no counter-argument was possible. However, the current situation is a product of the post-dictatorship era. Within the framework of ‘democracy’ and ‘openings to the people,’ more and more artists began to push for appearances there. The reasons are obvious.
Thus – not so imperceptibly – we ended up with the current free-for-all. What else does the appearance of Swedish pop star Lykke Li signify? Such events used to be hosted at the Lycabettus Theater. Towards the end of the ’90s, the unforgotten French-educated Mr. Loukos, who barely concealed his boredom with music, brought his old love, Demis Roussos, to the Herodion. His characteristic high notes were no longer there, but those are minor details…
I suppose the only reason bands like Metallica haven’t appeared at the Herodion is because the venue is too small for tens of thousands of fans. But this overuse of the monument (it is a monument, let’s not forget), also has some other unforeseen consequences. A few years ago, during some maintenance work, the stands had to be cleaned of hundreds of stuck chewing gums.
A much more serious issue is the vibrations the Herodion receives and the degree of stress on the south wall of its stage from the intensity of music concerts. Measurements were taken during concerts by the Wiener Johann Strauss-Capelle orchestra, Stamatis Spanoudakis, and Evanthia Reboutsika, and it was found that the 90-decibel limit supposedly applicable to the Herodion was greatly exceeded, reaching over 100-110 decibels. Such intensities have long been observed in stadiums where rock concerts take place and are the main reason why many famous rock musicians develop hearing problems over time. But it’s not just people who hear, but also the monument, and here things get serious.
The speaker ‘towers’ used in concerts transmit high intensity to the middle and upper part of the south wall, making it more susceptible to oscillations. The stands, which are one with the ground, are not affected by the sound. Researchers have already proposed lowering the sound source to stage level, while the placement of sound-insulating enclosures for the speakers is also being considered, so that the sound is directed only towards the audience.
Almost all the above findings have emerged from studies currently being conducted as part of the monument’s major three-year conservation project. (There was some grumbling on social media, but nothing earth-shattering.) I believe this period is an excellent opportunity to make decisions from scratch. We are not the only ones with a cultural gem. Next to us in Italy, there is the Arena di Verona, the Teatro Antico di Taormina, and many others. In Spain, they have the Teatro Romano de Mérida, a UNESCO monument.
Good practices already exist; we don’t need to invent them!
