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Nicholas Stefanou

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2023

2021

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A Greek National Opera triumph and a landmark work in Greece’s contemporary music landscape returns to the stage. The Murderess –an opera by GNO Artistic Director Giorgos Koumendakis that premiered in 2014 to great artistic and box office success– is coming to the Stavros Niarchos Hall on 3, 5, 28 and 30 December 2021. The libretto by Yannis Svolos is based on the novella of the same title by Alexandros Papadiamantis. This production is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) [https://www.snf.org/] to enhance the Greek National Opera’s artistic outreach.

The 2014 Giorgos Koumendakis work The Murderess creates a startling musical world that marks an evolution in the composer’s distinct personal idiom. His music makes no attempt to bring the historical setting of Papadiamantis’ original work back to life; rather it seeks to bring the inner world of its lead character to life – to capture the psychological portrayal of Frangoyannoù. The opera score traces the Murderess’ every step, at times baring the innermost workings of her mind, at others plunging into the dark and bleak windings of her soul. 
 
Yannis Svolos, who created the libretto, has distilled the storyline of The Murderess down to its essentials, while keeping the language of Papadiamantis pristine. Hadoula, known also as Frangoyannoù, is a put-upon middle-aged woman who has spent her entire life serving others – her parents and husband, her children and grandchildren. Now at the end of her tether, having grasped the difficulties and limitations faced by women in poor farming communities like her own, she comes to believe that her mission in life is to unburden the world of its girls. She starts by strangling her new-born granddaughter before going on a murder spree, smothering yet more girls. Fleeing the authorities through the mountains, Frangoyannoù decides to confess her crimes, but drowns in the sea while trying to reach the hermitage of Aghios Sostis (the Holy Saviour).

The directorial approach taken by Alexandros Efklidis seeks to capture the heroine’s psyche in ways that are poetic. The production is a balancing act between the largeness of scale demanded by the presence of multiple choruses and a multitude of characters, and the smallness of scale that is Frangoyannoù’s internal monologue. 

The sets by Petros Touloudis, and his costumes (designed in collaboration with Ioanna Tsami), generate a dark, furtive, guilt-riven, and terrestrial world, where the “agonies” of Frangoyannoù enter into dialogue with the haunting natural landscapes of Skiathos island. 

Vassilis Christopoulos –the renowned maestro, and former Artistic Director of the Athens State Orchestra– conducts. Accompanying the Greek National Opera Orchestra are three solo musicians up on stage, as well as four choral ensembles. The male chorus, set at the back of the stage and acting as a basso continuo, focuses on the suffering inherent in human nature, while a large female chorus acts as a mirror of everyday life. A further small vocal ensemble, comprising four lamenting women, also performs choral music inspired by the polyphonic songs of Epirus. The Greek National Opera Children’s Chorus plays the role of a Greek chorus-like group of children who fuel the fire of Frangoyannoù’s criminal inclinations. Agathangelos Georgakatos is chorus master of the GNO Chorus, while Konstantina Pitsiakou is chorus mistress of the GNO Children’s Chorus.

The exceptionally demanding title role is played by Mary-Ellen Nesi, a renowned Greek mezzo-soprano who has carved out an international career, performing more than 40 major roles at leading opera houses across Europe, North America, and Asia, while also forging an impressive discography of recordings. 

Frangoyannoù (The Murderess): Mary-Ellen Nesi
Maroussò: Anna Stylianaki
Ioassaf: Tassos Apostolou
Delcharò: Myrto Bokolini
Yannis Perivolàs: Vangelis Maniatis
Yannoù: Sophia Kyanidou
Xenoula’s mother: Fylli Georgiadou
First police officer: Yannis Christopoulos
A magistrate: Yanni Yannissis
Second police officer / Assessor: Nicholas Stefanou
Kriniò: Marilena Striftobola
Toula: Stelina Apostolopoulou
Myrsouda: Miranda Makrynioti
A doctor: Giorgos Papadimitriou
Amersa: Maria Konstanta
Konstantìs: Angelos Nerantzis
Lamenting women (polyphonic ensemble): Alkmini Basakarou, Ioanna Forti, Martha Mavroidi, Maria Melachrinou

With the participation of the GNO Orchestra, Chorus, and Children’s Chorus (as part of its educational mission), alongside a polyphonic ensemble


Ticket prices: 15€, 20€, 30€, 35€, 42€, 50€, 55€, 70€ • Students, children: 12€ • Restricted view seating: 10€ | Presale: GNO Box Office (+30 2130885700, 09.00-21.00 daily), ticketservices.gr/en

Lead Donor of the GNO: Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Production sponsor: LIDL

Nicholas Stefanou

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