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Native name | Εθνική Λυρική Σκηνή |
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| Industry | Opera |
| Founded | December 13, 1939; 85 years ago (1939-12-13) |
| Headquarters | Kallithea,, |
| Website | www |
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TheGreek National Opera (Greek:Εθνική Λυρική Σκηνή,Ethniki Lyriki Skini) is the country's state lyric opera company, located in theStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center at the south suburb ofAthens,Kallithea. It is a public corporation under the supervision of theGreek Ministry of Culture and administered by the Board of Trustees and its Artistic Director, currently George Koumedakis.
The organization is responsible for a wide variety of activities, including the presentation of opera performances,[1] ballet, and musical theatre; in addition, symphony concerts, special presentations of opera and ballet performances for children, and the Opera and Ballet Studio help young artists achieve professional standards.
The GNO has created and now organizes a national archive of music, a music library, a costume museum, stage models, musical scores and many items from great performances presented by the company. The company tours both within Greece and internationally.
The performances of the Greek National Opera are presented on three stages:
Recently, theStavros Niarchos Foundation has funded the construction of theStavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, a new venue since December 2016 for the Greek National Opera, theGreek National Library and a cultural and environmental park at theFaliron area in southeast section ofAthens.[2] The new 28,000 m² (301,000 sq. ft.) auditorium is an architectural jewel, designed to enhance the opera experience for patrons and artists alike.
During the late 1880s, the first Greek Opera was presented at the old Theatre in Athens (thenRoyal Theatre, nowNational Theatre of Greece). Between 1888 and 1890 the Greek Opera toured regions with then substantial Greek diaspora populations such asEgypt,Turkey andRomania, presenting operas such asMozart’sThe Abduction from the Seraglio,Donizetti’sLa favorite andLucia di Lammermoor andBellini’sLa sonnambula.
After 1924, following its tour of theUnited States and establishment as a significant cultural institution at home and abroad, the Greek government recognized the company’s effort by providing support. It was in 1939 that the Greek National Opera was formally established under the management ofKostis Bastias, and from 1944 the company operated as an autonomous organization in its present form.
On 5 March 1940 the company had its first official opening with theJohann Strauss operetta,Die Fledermaus. Two days prior to the declaration of theSecond World War, the company presentedPuccini’sMadama Butterfly in the presence of Puccini’s son.
Foremost among the many singers to take part in performances for the National Opera and later successfully establish reputations abroad isMaria Callas, the greatest of the country's opera performers and a leading singer of the century. Born in the United States, she signed her first professional contract with the Greek National Opera on 20 June 1940, and returned twenty years later, with Kostas Bastias once again, for performances at theAncient Theatre of Epidaurus. In 1960, she sangNorma in theBellini opera, and in 1961 took the role ofMedea inCherubini’sMedea. Other important singers have includedElena Souliotis,Kostas Paskalis,Nicola Zaccaria, andAgnes Baltsa.
Since 1955, when the summer festival first began, the Greek National opera has presented special performances for the ancient Roman-era amphitheatre, theOdeon of Herodes Atticus; its first presentation wasGluck’sOrfeo ed Euridice, and in conjunction with the Greek opera company a number of famous international performers of all types have performed at the festival down the decades. In its early years, helping to establish the Festival as a major international event were conductorsTullio Serafin andNicola Rescigno, singers such asGhena Dimitrova,Maria Chiara,Giuseppe Taddei, andRolando Panerai, and well-known directors and set designers such asGiancarlo Menotti,Dinos Giannopoulos,Spyros Evangelatos,Nikos Georgiadis,Dionyssios Fotopoulos, andNikos Petropoulos. Recent Festival productions at theHerodion Ancient Theatre have included many of the standard operatic works, withKostas Paskalis featuring in major roles.
The Chorus of the Greek National Opera, in existence since 1939, is composed of professional singers. In addition to the major operatic works, its repertory covers a broad range of Greek composers, operettas, oratorios and many religious musical works, also taking in the 20th century classical repertoire.
Its first "Ballet Evening" was presented in 1960; this is aside from its participation in operas and operettas, so the company prepares several evenings of ballet each winter season and performs at theAthens Festival each summer. In addition to the standardclassic andromantic repertory,contemporary dance by Greek and foreign professionals is established as a feature. With help from the state, the Ballet has acquired its own fuller rehearsal studio for training purposes and consequently has improved its artistic standard. Particularly important in her contribution to the development of ballet at the National Opera wasTatiana Mamaki.
In 2017, theGreek Youth Symphony Orchestra was established at the Greek National Opera.[3]
