Tthe Murderess – Giorgos Koumendakis Programme – Season 2020/21
€8.00
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– was presented in 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. Vassilis Christopoulos conducted and Alexandros Efklidis directed, with Mary-Ellen Nesi in the title role.
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. There are points where the boundless loneliness felt by Frangoyannoù reigns supreme, and others where her scorn breaks through to provide moments of emotional release within the charged plot.
