On 5 March 1940, the curtain was raised for the first time at the Royal Theatre’s National Opera founded by Costis Bastias, director of the Royal Theatre and Director of Arts and Letters in Metaxas’ government. Johann Strauss II Die Fledermaus was chosen as the opening work. This operetta, translated in Greek by Angelos Terzakis, allowed the use of the orchestra, singers and dancers of the newly-formed opera company, as well as of the actors of the Royal Theatre. The performance at the theatre on Aghiou Constantinou street was hugely successful. The same summer it travelled to Thessaloniki for the opening of the Royal Theatre in Greece’s second largest city and completed a run of a hundred performances.

On 1 April 1944 the organization split off from the National Theatre and opened under the name Greek National Opera at the first Olympia Theatre on Akadimias street with Corfiot composer Spyros Samaras’ opera Rhea. Samaras, the composer of the official Hymn of the Olympic Games, was one of the most distinguished Greek composers. His works had been presented on many prestigious European stages, including La Scala, Milan. The 1944 performance was conducted by composer and conductor Antiochos Evangelatos and the leading role was performed by Mireille Fleury, who had excelled abroad, and had also appeared alongside the famous Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli.

The Greek National Opera began its performances at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus in 1944, namely from the first year it started operating as an independent organization and long before the establishment of the Athens Festival in 1955. The first works presented there were Manolis Kalomiris’ (first General Director of the new organization) The Master Builder and Beethoven’s Fidelio. More specifically, the performance of Fidelio starring Maria Callas – the fourth from the left in the photograph – on 14 August, two months before the Liberation, in a translation by Veta Pezopoulou, enraptured the audience, who after the “prisoners’ chorus screamed “Freedom!” - a development that censorship authorities had clearly not predicted.

The Olympia Theatre that stands to this day in the centre of Athens, on Akadimias street, was inaugurated by the Greek National Opera on 8 January 1958 with Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida. The premiere was given with pomp and circumstance. The performance was directed by Remo della Pergola and conducted by Andreas Paridis, and the leading role was sung by Rena Kanaki. The Olympia Theatre housed the Greek National Opera for almost six decades, until 2017.

Among the highlights of the Greek National Opera’s history are two productions starring Maria Callas at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus: Norma in summer 1960 and Medea in August 1961. The diva was invited by Costis Bastias, who from 1959 was once again at the helm of the organization. In fact, he made sure she was surrounded by an outstanding cast of collaborators and co-protagonists. Norma was conducted by the celebrated Italian conductor and mentor of Maria Callas, Tullio Serafin, and directed by Alexis Minotis. The costumes were designed by famous painter Yannis Tsarouchis. Alongside the diva was Mirto Picchi as Pollione and the very young Kiki Morfoniou as Adalgisa.

Having taken his first steps in 1947 with the Chorus of the Greek National Opera, by the end of the 60s baritone Kostas Paskalis was at the peak of an international career, that had brought him to the greatest opera houses across the world. One of the most famous roles he ever performed was Macbeth in Giuseppe Verdi’s opera of the same title in summer 1969 at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. The production was directed by John Copley and conducted by Lamberto Gardelli, co-starring the famous Inge Borkh as Lady Macbeth. Paskalis returned to the GNO regularly, performing a multitude of roles. In the period 1988/89 he served as General Director of the GNO.

It might strike us as odd today, but approximately until the mid-70s it was common for operas across Europe to be performed in the local languages. The reason for that was simple and practical: as there were no surtitles, this was the most immediate way for the audience to understand what was happening on stage. This solution was also adopted by the Greek National Opera for its performances at the Olympia Theatre; at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus however, performances were given in the language of the original since large productions were targeted at an international audience. At the Olympia Theatre the first production entirely given in the language of the original was Verdi’s Falstaff, conducted by Andreas Paridis, directed by Spyros Evangelatos and starring the famous baritone Giuseppe Taddei.

From the outset, ballet was part of the standard requirements of the opera company founded by the Royal/National Theatre. Its creation was in essence the first systematic effort to form a state dance group with a repertory. For this purpose renowned Czech choreographer Sasha Mahov was engaged. Mahov was a key collaborator of the National Theatre Ballet in Prague until the German invasion in 1939. Initially the GNO Ballet participated in opera and operetta performances, and also presented short ballets or ballet evenings with excerpts from famous works. The first full-length ballet presented was Adolphe Adam’s Giselle in 1983 choreographed by Kalina Bogoeva and starring Katerina Dima and Angelos Hadjis.

In 2006, acclaimed stage designer and director Stefanos Lazaridis, who had carved out a brilliant career at the most prestigious theatres and festivals abroad, assumed the artistic directorship of the Greek National Opera. With his experience and dynamic personality he attempted to engage the Greek National Opera into a dialogue with international productions, inviting important artists and presenting remarkable productions. One of those was the famous production of John Adam’s opera Nixon in China directed by Peter Sellars, which premiered in Houston in 1987 and then travelled across the world.

Wishing to renew the domestic opera audience and at the same time show how timeless the subjects that great composers preoccupy themselves with are, Stefanos Lazaridis, Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera, commissioned director Graham Vick to create a new production of Puccini’s highly popular opera La Bohème, which would be set in modern-day Athens. Thus, the bohemian company starring in the opera was moved from the 19th-century Parisian Cartier Latin to Exarchia. Their agonies and feelings however remained the same.

In 2008 the Greek National Opera gave the chance to baritone Dimitri Platanias to perform one of the roles that made him famous across the globe, Rigoletto in Giuseppe Verdi’s opera of the same title. Nikos Petropoulos’ new production set the action in Italy during the fascist period, in a time when the loose morals, the arrogance of power and the conspiracies running through Hugo’s work, on which the opera is based, could easily be transferred. The film noir aesthetic of the performance contributed to the creation of a dark atmosphere.

On 15 October 2017, after a series of trial performances held in the spring of that same year, the Greek National Opera relocated permanently to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. For its official opening, Artistic Director Giorgos Koumendakis chose one of the most taxing works in the repertory, Richard Strauss’ opera Elektra. It was the first time this work was performed by the Greek National Opera, and also the first time that the famous mezzo-soprano Agnes Baltsa collaborated with the company, assuming the role of Clytaemnestra.

The intention of Giorgos Koumendakis, Artistic Director of the Greek National Opera, to introduce new titles into the company’s repertoire was turned into action in the second season at the SNFCC with the Greek premiere of Leos Janáček’s opera Jenůfa, directed by Nicola Raab and with sets and costumes by George Souglacou. The role of the Kostelnička (stepmother) was shared by Sabine Hogrefe, who had been very successful as Elektra the previous year, and Julia Souglacou who a few years earlier had performed the leading role in Koumendakis’ The murderess ( I Fonissa).

Within the framework of its grant to the Greek National Opera, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) considered from the outset a goal of paramount importance: to create a space dedicated to contemporary creation. The SNF supported not only the foundation, but also the programming of the Alternative Stage, offering the room for the creative freedom and risk required by such an institution. In the versatile space of the Alternative Stage a multitude of works of different requirements as well as some of the most important operas of the last decades have been presented, like recently, Thomas Adès’ Powder her face.

In 2020 the Greek National Opera presented for the first time in its history, one of the operatic masterpieces of the 20th century, Alban Berg’s opera Wozzeck. It was, also, the first time that the particular opera was performed in Greece by domestic musical forces – the orchestra, chorus and children’s choir of the GNO under the musical direction of Vassilis Christopoulos. The production bore the stamp of director Olivier Py. Finally, it was the first performance of an opera by a Greek organization that was relayed by the European cultural network Mezzo.

In summer 1971 the Greek National Opera presented Gluck’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. The production was marked by the death of Italian conductor Fausto Cleva, who collapsed on the podium and was replaced by violinist and conductor Stelios Kafantaris. The production however stood out for its aesthetics, conceived by the famous Greek-born painter Giorgio de Chirico who designed the sets and costumes. The roles were performed by the mezzo-soprano of Greek descent Tatiana Troyanos (Orfeo), soprano Antigone Sgourda (Eurydice) and soprano Hara Savino (Eros).

Ariadne auf Naxos was Richard Strauss’ first opera to be added to the Greek National Opera’s repertory. Unlike other more famous works by the Bavarian composer, such as Salome, Elektra and Der Rosenkavalier, it requires only limited orchestral resources, a fact that facilitated its presentation at the Olympia Theatre which had a restricted orchestra pit. The production that first went up in February 1974 was conducted by Choo Hoey and directed by Dinos Giannopoulos. Ariadne’s role was performed by Antigone Sgourda, then at the peak of her career at the Vienna State Opera, while Bacchus was sung by tenor Gary Burgess.

In summer 1975 the Greek National Opera took the risk of presenting a very special work at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, La damnation de Faust, a “dramatic legend” according to its composer Hector Berlioz, and in essence, an oratorio which requires very specific conditions in order to be proven scenically convincing. These conditions were met thanks to conductor Dimitri Chorafas, then Director of the Greek National Opera, who had not only studied in Paris but also served as permanent conductor at the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg and was well acquainted with the characteristics of French music. The production was directed by Louis Erlo, who at the time was director of the Opéra-Studio de Paris and later director of the Aix-en-Provence Festival. The sets and costumes were designed by the eminent Greek painter Spyros Vassiliou. The leading role was performed by the famous tenor Guy Chauvet.

During the years after the fall of the military junta in Greece (1974) great efforts were made to renew and modernize the Greek National Opera’s repertoire. It was enriched with many new titles, including Luigi Dallapiccola’s I prigionero (The prisoner), which had first been heard on the Italian radio in 1940 and had been given its staged premiere in 1950. The performance was conducted by composer Theodore Antoniou and directed by Spyros Evangelatos. Spyros Sakkas performed the title role while tenor George Zervanos that of the Great Inquisitor.

Composer Manos Hadjidakis contributed decisively to the rebirth of the Greek National Opera during the years after the fall of the military junta in Greece (1974), acting as Deputy Director, making proposals for the repertory and the artists. Characteristically, he introduced Kurt Weill’s opera Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny [Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny], which was directed by Minos Volanakis, with sets by Dionysis Fotopoulos and costumes by Ioanna Papantoniou. The performance starring Vasso Papantoniou (Jenny), Kiki Morfoniou (Begbick) and Zachos Terzakis (Jim), was to be conducted by Hadjidakis himself, but in the end, the baton was taken over by Hans-Werner Pintgen.

Boris Godunov was frequently staged both at the Olympia Theatre and at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus since March 1960, when it was first introduced to the Greek National Opera’s repertoire. The 1985 production directed by Spyros Evangelatos had an exceptional protagonist, the then just 30-year-old Georgian bass Paata Burchuladze, who was still largely unknown in the West. His cavernous voice made the Olympia Theatre tremble and his interpretation was made unforgettable also thanks to Odysseas Dimitriadis, a conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, who was regularly invited by the Greek National Opera.

In summer 1994 the Greek National Opera Ballet presented at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus a work that was very demanding not only for the dancers but also for the orchestra: Sergei Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet. The production was choreographed by Dutch Rudi van Dantzig, conducted by Ukrainian Fedor Glushchenko, and the leading couple was brilliantly performed by Maria Miliopoulou and Yiannis Dontsakis. The successful production continued over the next season at the Olympia Theatre, where the photograph was taken.

In spring 1997 the Greek National Opera invited the famous Italian film director Lina Wertmüller to direct a new production of Puccini’s highly popular opera, La Bohème. Wertmüller successfully conveyed the emotion of the story, and thanks to Enrico Job’s exceptional sets and costumes Toulouse Lautrec’s dreamy Parisian ambience was brought to life on the stage of the Olympia Theatre. The lead couple was performed by soprano Jenny Drivala (Mimi) and tenor Roberto Brugioni (Rodolfo).

Composer Manolis Kalomiris contributed in many ways to the creation and foundation of the Greek National Opera. At first he was a collaborator of Costis Bastias, founder of the GNO, whom he decisively helped in the formation of the first in-house production team, and later served as Director and then President of the organization’s Board. The Greek National Opera remains to this day the only organization that consistently and steadily presents works of Greek composers. In 1998 the GNO mounted Kalomiris’ The shadowy waters conducted by Byron Fidetzis, directed by Spyros Evangelatos and with sets and costumes by Yannis Metjikof, starring soprano Julia Souglakou (Detora) and tenor Angelo Simos (Forgael).

One of the most ambitious productions of the 1998/99 season was the ballet La Bayadère with music by Ludwig Minkus. It was based on Alice Elliot’s revival of Marius Petipa’s original choreography. The ravishing sets and costumes were created by Leonidas de Pian and the lead couple was brilliantly performed by stars of GNO’s Ballet Alina Stergianou (Nikiya) and Yiannis Dontsakis (Solor).

As part of the Cultural Olympiad the Greek National Opera undertook to present operas at the historical location where their plot unfolds. In 2002 at the foot of the rock of the Acrocorinth the Greek National Opera presented Rossini’s L’Assedio di Corinto [The Siege of Corinth], on a temporary stage constructed especially for the occasion. The production was conducted by Niels Muus, and directed by Nikos Petropoulos, who also designed the sets and costumes. Famous singers were invited for the occasion, such as bass Ildar Abdrazakov (Maometto Secondo), soprano Luciana Serra (Pamira) and mezzo-soprano Daniela Barcelona (Neocle).

In November 2014 the Greek National Opera presented for the first time Giorgos Koumendakis’ The Murderess (I Fonissa). The venture was daring since it was associated with an emblematic work of modern Greek literature, but proved extremely successful, as it highlighted the essential characteristics of the original. Koumendakis’ music transferred elements of Greek folk music into a modern, absolutely personal language and underlined the emotional tension of the central character. Alexandros Efklidis’ direction ensured the effortless flow of the action and Petros Touloudis’ suggestive, imaginative setting portrayed with simple means the story’s different locations. The performance continued the next season.