The children's opera of Nikos Xanthoulis "The Magic Violin", comes to the National Opera to enchant young and old alike8 January 2012.
A musical fairy tale about the power of music and true love that will impress children's souls. A comparative story that brings the message of optimism and joy, even in the most difficult conditions.
Composer Nikos Xanthoulis wrote music with the aim of appealing to all ages and especially to "young ears", while Marivita Grammatikaki inspired the libretto, from a personal experience: A gray day with dark thoughts of bankruptcy, crisis, loss a busker passed in front of her playing the violin. This was the reason for writing this work.
The director of the show Lena Georgiadou notes: "This is a 'fairytale' story", structured with the characteristics of a tragedy, where everyone, "good" and "bad" do not obey traditional conventions, where the past and the future, logic and imagination, they cease to be treated as contradictory, and all together act as a poetic depiction of a world so old, as well as today's.
The story
Once, in a gray state, there lived a king who hated beauty, colors and songs and forbade all citizens to sing and rejoice. He even imprisoned his daughter for singing one day when she was enchanted by a gypsy's violin, who accidentally entered the state. The king was frightened as soon as he heard the song and ordered to imprison all those who sang along with the gypsy, as well as to throw away his violin. Only one madman stayed out of prison and hid the violin.
The king now lives alone, companionship with the madman of the state. Hearing the violin awakens memories that fill him with sadness. It wasn't always like that. The death of his beloved queen filled him with pain. For the first time he reveals that he is afraid of pain. He believes that he who is not happy is not sad, therefore it does not hurt.
But the words of the madman and the music of the magic violin, the queen's gift to the gypsy, they awakened the goodness he had buried within him. The Apparition of the Queen and the Magical Tunes of the Violin, solve the magic. That's how everything changed.
Note by composer Nikos Xanthoulis
I loved Asterix since I was little. At first I was fascinated by the images, later the stories and when I was older I was crazy about his humor. When I found that a work of art can speak to both children and adults, I was captivated by the idea that I could do something like that with music. But the problem is always the text. "Give me a good libretto and I will find the music" said Verdi.
The opportunity came with the libretto competition for a musical fairy tale that we co-organized in the Educational Programs of the National Opera together with the National Book Center in November 2010. My good friend Marivita Grammatikaki made with a few sentences a draft of a fairy tale entitled The Magic Violin on which young students from all over Greece would compete in writing a libretto. The competition was held and the first prize was won by a student from Thessaloniki, Raphael Ketsetsidis. Joseph Vallet composed the work that was presented with great success at the 2nd Student Opera Festival, which was organized some months later.
Some time later, the European Organization OPERA EUROPA organized the European Opera Days in cooperation with most of the opera theaters of Europe [European Opera Days] at 7 and 8 of May 2011 titled "Young Ears" [Young Ears]. The translation of the theme was not accidental. People of any age who are open to new hearings have "young ears".. The National Opera House asked me to compose a work for all ages, a project that can be approached by an adult, but also a young viewer. I chose the Magic Violin without a second thought. I got lucky with Marivita Grammatikaki's libretto. We worked with great joy with all partners and with the people of the National Opera to be by our side in all difficulties. But the most beautiful thing... is to see the children's smiles after the show.
Composition and music direction Nikos Xanthoulis
Author – Lyricist Marivita Grammatikakis
Directed by Lena Georgiadou
Sets – Costumes Chrysanthi Psaropoulos
Lighting by Ioannis Pantelias
Choreography – Kinesiology Themistocles Pavlis
Direction of children's choir Rozi Mastrosavva
Horace (King) Alexandros Stavrakakis – George Roupas
Procas (Sneak) Pavlos Maropoulos – Zafeiris Koutelieris
Ed (Crazy) Panagiotis Athanasopoulos – Kostis Rasidakis
Rosa (Princess) Artemis Bogri – Gina Foteinopoulou
Amir (Romany) Nikos Stefanou – Thanasis Evangelou
Evita Hassapoglou dances
Members of the Children's Stage Orchestra of E.L.S. and the ROSARTE children's choir
Source : culturenow.gr