In Pursuit of the Perfect Sound – An Odyssey
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Nico, a Hellenic American guitarist, music school director, and a long-time Chicago resident, relates his experience at the ancient Epidaurus theater in Greece.
[Read Nico's travel tips for Greece here]
It’s a moment in my life that I will never, ever forget.
On our honeymoon, we traveled from Athens to my cousins’ home in Tripoli, meeting them for the very first time. My newly found family, who I never met before, eagerly displayed that “Big, Fat Greek Hospitality” I knew quite well growing up back in Chicago on the South Side. After a wonderful late lunch, we left for Athens. On our way back, I saw it!
The sign: “Επίδαυρος - ΤΟ ΜΕΓΑΛΟ ΙΕΡΟ ΘΕΑΤΡΟ (Epidaurus - THE GREAT HOLY THEATRE)”
The Gods were good to me, for my childhood dream had come true! I made a quick, illegal turn to access the road that led to the Theatre. “Δεν υπάρχει αστυνομία (No Police)! HAHA!” I told myself with glee). Driving on an endless winding road which seemed to go on forever, the midday Sun was waning. When we arrived around 5 pm, to our shock, we saw there were no buses, no cars, no taxis, no tourist guides. NOTHING! EMPTY! IT WAS CLOSED!! Heartbreak!!! No!! No way!! I did not travel to this mythical wonder, negotiating those treacherous cliffs, only to be turned back. Try doing that to a Hellene (Greek), by the way. But, wait a minute! Ok, I had an idea.
Through a scheming, clever Odyssean plan, that of the use of our timeless, secret weapon - The Hellenic Art of BS. Would it work, though, I wondered? The gracious, old gentleman, with the keys to the entrance to the Theatre at the bottom of that hill listened quietly, intently, and respectfully to my hopefully persuasive story - my sobbing narrative. After a minute of laborious persuasion, telling him that I was a Hollywood Director and that my wife was the leading lady… the starring actress in a blockbuster movie that would be produced there shortly. Oh, my Hellenic language failed me throughout. Even so, the great Αριστοφάνης (Aristophanes) - he who capitalized on the Hellenic Art of BS in our ageless comedic arts of theatre - stood by me in spirit, proud of my speech at that very moment. Why, I could hear his applause over the joyous roar of his ancient audience intently! “ΚΑΛΟ ΝΙΚΟΣ (Good luck, Niko),” Aristophanes said in his ancient, Attic Hellenic Language. I know I heard him say it.
“αυτό είναι (Well now),” said the old caretaker, chuckling, his eyes twinkling and his wisdom ageless. Sensing my sincerity, or shall we say, my BS, he immediately smiled, then allowed us both to run up to see this world marvel without escort.
"Έχετε μόνο 15 λεπτά. Θα έρθω να σε πάρω μετά από αυτό. Πήγαινε! (You have 15 minutes. After that, I’ll come get you myself! Go. GO NOW! ON YOUR WAY!)” This man must be from Crete, I thought. ΙΣΧΥΡΟΣ & ΣΚΛΗΡΟΣ (STRONG & TOUGH). Ένας Έλληνας γνωρίζει έναν Έλληνα, προφανώς (A Hellene knows a Hellene, obviously). Profound, apparently.
We ran like Olympian athletes up the hill to my “Dream Come True” since I was a child. “ΚΑΛΩΣ ΗΡΘΑΤΕ ΣΤΟ ΣΠΙΤΙ ΜΟΥ, ΝΙΚΟ (Welcome to my Home, Niko),” this wonder announced to me. So magical, so welcoming! I suddenly turned my head to the right after someone softly yet eerily tapped my shoulder. Who was it? Διονύσιος (Dionysus)? No! ΤΩΡΑ ΜΕ ΧΡΙΨΕ Ο ΙΔΙΟΣ Ο ΑΠΟΛΛΩΝΑΣ (I was anointed by Apollo himself). There I was, finally there, stunned. I couldn’t feel my legs, paralyzed, crying endless tears. We were all alone. No one else … just the flowered, Northern Winds whistling softly. Yes, I was allowed by the Gods now, standing over the weathered, round center stone where once stood a gleaming bronze coin that Euripides centered himself in the orchestra. Στεκόμουν μπρο τά σε ένα μυθικό ελληνικό αυτί (I was standing in front of an ancient Mythical Greek Ear). Respectively, rubbing my hands with the marbled fertile soil of my father’s land, I waved to my wife as she climbed to the very top.
I said, “Molon… Labé.”
“No, NO!” I corrected myself. Standing proudly before clearing my dried throat, loudly shouting from my heart, I screamed history’s greatest war cry1 again, “MOLON… LABÉ (COME... TAKE).” And my wife responded like a timeless Kouroi maiden with that smile and quintessential Hellenic Contrapposto Pose2. Divine! Perfect! We repeated our exchange. PERFECT AGAIN! I was on Olympus itself. As my wife and I traded places, she standing on the center stone down in the orchestra and me now standing at the top of the theatre, I was profoundly stunned by her voice. So clear, so robust, thus realizing what genius my ancestors gave to humanity.
While overjoyed at my childhood dream had coming true, I marveled at the acoustics of The Holy Theatre of Epidaurus. The stone steps filter the background noise and create a phenomenon called Virtual Pitch, which enhances the clarity and quality of sound. Additionally, the distance between the rows of seats diffuses the sound everywhere with the same intensity. Other factors include the sound bouncing back from the hard, compact surface of the orchestra and the theater stands, the good quality marble used, the quiet scenery and the constant breeze blowing from the orchestra to the viewers.
Now, let me tell you how to experience the sound exactly like I did. Take both hands and place them behind both ears as the elderly do when listening. Then, speak your thoughts clearly and let your splendor abound. Hence savor the exact magical sound quality expounded by over two-and-a-half-thousand-year Hellenic brilliance. The immortality that is MY ELLAS!
ΖΟΥΜΕ ΓΙΑ ΠΑΝΤΑ. ΚΑΛΩΣ ΗΡΘΑΤΕ ΣΤΟ ΣΠΙΤΙ ΜΟΥ
WE LIVE FOREVER. WELCOME TO MY HOME.
Notes
- Molon Labé (Greek: Μολὼν λαβέ) is a defiant phrase from ancient Greece meaning “Come and take [them]”. It’s famously attributed to King Leonidas I of Sparta, who reportedly said it to Xerxes I of Persia when ordered to surrender his weapons before the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. (Ref: Molon Labé )
- Contrapposto (Italian for “counterpose”) is a pose in which a standing figure shifts its weight onto one leg (called the engaged leg), allowing the other leg to bend slightly and relax. This weight shift causes the hips, shoulders, and spine to tilt in opposite directions, creating a subtle S-curve through the body. (Ref: Understanding Contrapposto)
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