Carmen, Bizet's legendary opera, is the new production of the Suitcase Opera. It will travel to 22 cities across Greece, in the framework of the programme Journey to the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center, an exclusive donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (www.SNF.org).
Carmen is one of the most famous operas worldwide, as its power, vivacity and simplicity moves the audiences through time. Love, passion and the need for freedom are structural elements of human nature, making this tragic story a classic one. Bizet's overwhelming tunes, superb arias and duets magically outline the tragic story and the emotions of the characters.
The plot of the opera revolves around the fiery feelings of Corporal Don José for Carmen, a gypsy girl. Her liberal views about love eventually lead her to death. Angela-Kleopatra Saroglou, the production's director, has transported the action to modern Spain through the aesthetics of Pedro Almodovar's film-making.
Eminent protagonists of the Greek National Opera feature in this production. The performance duration is 80 minutes, without intermission and with Greek surtitles.
The Suitcase Opera
The Suitcase Opera started out in 2011. It is an initiative of the Greek National Opera; an artistic project aiming at attracting new audience and introducing it to the magic spell of the opera repertoire.
The Suitcase Opera production is flexible and travels to unusual places (cultural centres, museums, libraries, archaeological sites) supported by a fabulous cast of GNO soloists who, instead of an orchestra, will be accompanied by a pianist, whereas all its stage sets are being carried in a… suitcase.
At the same time, the GNO, with the Suitcase Opera and in collaboration with the institution Future Library, will introduce educational actions in the cities to be visited.
Direction: Angela-Kleopatra Saroglou
Sets: Yorgos Kollios
Costumes: Alexia Theodoraki
Lights: Spyros Tzoras
Piano: Yiannis Tsanakaliotis, Sofia Tamvakopoulou, Domna Chalari
Cast (in alphabetical order)
Don José: Yannis Christopoulos - Philippos Modinos - Dimitris Paksoglou - Dimitris Sigalos
Escamillo/Morallès: Akis Laloussis - Arkadios Rakopoulos - Yannis Selitsaniotis - Dionyssis Tsantinis
Zuniga/Le Dancaïre: Nikolaos Karagiaouris - Giorgos Mattheakakis - Costas Mavrogenis - Dionyssis Tsantinis
Carmen: Kassandra Dimopoulou - Diamanti Kritsotaki - Marissia Papalexiou - Ines Zikou
Micaëla/Frasquita: Antonia Kalogirou - Sofia Mitropoulou - Despina Skarlatou
Mercédès: Eleni Davou - Athina Kastrinaki - Vicky Tsiliakou - Maria Vlachopoulou
Performances in Crete
7 May 2015 - Cultural Centre, Chania
9 May 2015 - ASTORIA Cinema Theatre, Heraklion
13 May 2015 - REX Cinema Theatre, Aghios Nikolaos