GERMANY:Germany will mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome with an avant-garde performance of a mother killing her children.
Anyone expecting a real blood-letting though will be disappointed. The infanticide concludes a new production of Medeaby leading German choreographer Sascha Waltz, just one highlight in a weekend of cultural events in Berlin on March 24th-25th to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome.
Chancellor Angela Merkel will be kept busy with EU leaders visiting the German capital to sign a so-called Berlin Declaration so it is unlikely that she will see the piece, to be staged on the Pergamon Altar from the 2nd century BC, housed in a museum opposite her apartment.
Organisers stressed yesterday that there was no moral in the Greek tragedy for the German leader about how best to deal with the ailing constitutional treaty.
"I can't say one can compare Merkel to Medea," said Ruth Hunsdörfer, responsible for publicity. "The piece should be seen as an influential archetypal drama, not something with a direct connection to current discussions in the EU."
Nevertheless the altar, mentioned in the Book of Revelation and excavated from the desert near Ankara in 1879, is covered in friezes depicting European relations of times gone by - such as brutal battle scenes as Greeks defend their culture against Gallic barbarians. Departing French president Jacques Chirac will love that.
Berlin's museums have joined forces for an all-night "Festival of Beauty", an exploration of what they call the prettier side of European identity, a brave challenge considering the parade of ill-fitting suits expected in Berlin that weekend.
"It's not just about why beautiful is considered good, an idea we've inherited from the ancient Greeks," said Ms Hunsdörfer, "but to show how beauty cannot exist without ugliness." Ugliness is where Francis Bacon comes in: his 1967 portrait of Isabel Rawsthorne is one of two dozen European paintings in a special exhibition in the New National Gallery.
Also planned are a beer and bratwurst festival and a concert, with Ireland represented by Berlin-based tenor Paul McNamara. An all-night club event will see the "sound of young Europe" with more than 100 DJs and 30 bands, including Irish acts.