There are European cities with a long-standing tradition in Opera and Classical Music. And there are the ones that are building their legacy now.
Athens, despite the 83 years of the life of the Greek National Opera, is one of the latter. Opera and Classical Music in Athens are a somewhat recent love affair for its citizens. And it is growing every day.
All around Athens there are the venues, the orchestras, and the events to prove so.
But first, let me explain the title.
Maria Callas – The Opera Diva
Maria Callas was born in 1923 in Manhattan New York. Her parents were immigrants from Greece. Following their divorce, Maria and her older sister returned with their mother to Greece. In Athens, Maria studied and had her first steps in a career that was to be international and spectacular.
Honoring her music and dramatic art, the operatic audience characterized Callas as La Divina (“The Divine”). This was not news for Greece. In Greece, she was already considered as close to divine as one gets.
Leonard Bernstein described her as “the Bible of opera”.
Her impressive career and her turbulent personal life, – her long relationship with Aristotelis Onassis seemed like a fairytale – ensured a place in Greek’s hearts, whether they enjoyed opera or not.
Decades after her death, she remains the definition of prima donna assoluta (“absolute prima donna”) and one of the most commercially successful operatic artists.
This legacy had a significant impact on the city of Athens, a city that has been trying to make Maria Callas’ spirit proud.
Greek National Opera – Central Stage
The Greek National Opera was established in 1939.
In addition to the Opera, Greek National Opera included plays of operetta and dance, ever since its early days. Combining the three arts, the operetta “The Bat” was the opening play.
Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly was the first opera. The young Maria Callas took her first artistic steps with this group, playing leading roles in operas such as Puccini’s Tosca and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fidelio.
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Culture Center is the new home for GNO since 2017. The relocation to the new state-of-the-art premises created new opportunities for Greek National Opera.
The Opera, since 2017, has assumed the role of the educator for the arts, including opera, ballet, experimental projects, shows for children, and more.
GNO’s artistic director, George Koumentakis, in his message, during the announcement of the repertoire of the central stage of the National Opera, points out that the new program contains an “expansion of the repertoire, international co-productions, a sharp look and a contemporary reflection on the masterpieces of opera”.
For further information, you may visit the official website of the Greek National Opera.
Greek National Opera – Alternative Stage
The new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center is the home of the Alternative Stage of the Greek National Opera since 2017.
This is a space for experimentation and innovation. State-of-the-art specifications, unique quality acoustics, and an inspiring environment facilitate the realization of any composer’s dreams.
The GNO Alternative Stage has already presented plays like the tribute to Lord Byron via the presentation of the music-theatre work “The Air of Greece”. The composer of this production was the multi-awarded Greek-American George Tsontakis. Recently the journal Gramophone described him as “a giant of the American contemporary music scene”.
Also in 2021, during the celebrations for the 200 years since the Greek Revolution of 1821, Michael Marmarinos and Akillas Karazisis presented the Opera “Kolokotronis gazes upon the future, women are preparing for the revolution and I will be thinking of something”.
Among other productions, we had the Opera “Bibilolo” by Marc Monne and Arno Fabre. A caustic, poetic, and dreamy spectacle, completely bizarre, halfway between modern opera, mechanical performance, and object theater.
For more information about the history of GNO, you can visit the website of the Virtual Educational Museum http://virtualmuseum.nationalopera.gr/
Athens Concert Hall
The Athens Concert Hall, also known as the Concert Hall (Megaron), is a venue for concerts, and major cultural events. Every year, the organization of the Megaron organizes a total of about 500 events, such as performances of classical music, opera, theater, dance, etc.
It is located in Athens, at the junction of Vasilissis Sofias Avenue and Petrou Kokkali Street.
Emmanuel Vourekas and Elias Skroubelos were the designers of the Megaron. They began the construction in 1976 after co-financing by the association “Friends of Music” and the Greek state.
It is considered one of the most famous venues of this kind in the world for both classical and Greek traditional music.
The Athens Concert Hall Megaron is on the list of the European Organization of Symphony Music Centers.
The central scene is the “Christos Lambrakis” hall. The Austrian sound designer Heinrich KainholtzIt designed this beautiful venue.
It has a capacity of 1,961 people and spectators enjoy operas, recitals, concerts, and conferences.
The “Christos Lambrakis” hall hosts the largest church organ in Greece with 6,080 flutes.
Every summer numerous cultural events take place in the Garden of the Athens Concert Hall in a much more casual setting. Even if the acoustics can not compare with the central stage, these concerts on screen, open and free for all, are a cherished experience to remember!
The Athens Concert Hall and the Garden are located at Vasilissis Sofias & Kokkali Str. Detailed information on how to get there is here and the program is here.
Herodou Atticou Odeon
One remarkable venue where we enjoy plays by the Greek National Opera or other artists is the Herodes Atticus Odeon, also known as Herodeion.
This is a monument – literary – we have the privileged to enjoy in current use. It is an ancient conservatory of the Roman period, located on the southwest slope of the Acropolis of Athens.
The Odeon was built at a swift pace. Herod of Attica financed its construction during the 2nd century CE, in honor of his wife Aspasia Annia Rigillis, who died in 160 CE.
The conservatory was built with 32 rows of marble stands for about 5000 spectators!
As in the theaters of Roman times, the orchestra had a semicircular shape. The stage building was elevated at the back of the stage and had three floors, two of which are still preserved at a height of 28 meters. The whole construction was covered with a wooden roof made of cedar wood.
The restoration gradually started after World War 2 by professor Orlandos during King’s Paul reign. Since the end of 1950, many cultural events have taken place in the Conservatory mainly during the summer months.
Many Greek and foreign artists have appeared in this space, including the Greek diva of the Opera Maria Callas in 1957, for a recital.
Opera is not for everybody. But then again, what is?
The wonderful thing here is that Athens, Maria Callas’ city, offers this cultural option too to all opera and symphonic music lovers, along with those that are just eager to experience it.