Flora mirabilis

Lead Donor of the GNO & Production donor

The Greek National Opera presents an undiscovered treasure from the Ionian Music School—the opera Flora mirabilis by the celebrated composer Spyridon Samaras. For one night only, on Saturday 27 September 2025 at the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the GNO at the SNFCC, Greek audiences will have the rare opportunity to enjoy Flora mirabilis in a concertante performance, in a new, restored edition. The digitalisation of the musical material from the archive of the “Mantzaros” Philharmonic Society was made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

Following its remarkable success in late 19th-century Europe, Flora mirabilis returns to the Greek audience in a priceless restored edition that aims to reestablish it in the European operatic repertoire. The masterful music of the eclectic and cosmopolitan Corfiot composer Spyridon-Filiskos Samaras, renowned for its effortless melodic inspiration, imaginative harmonic language, and intricate arrangement, combined with his deep understanding of vocal composition and innate theatrical perception of musical dramaturgy, positions him as an equal to the prominent European composers of his era. “This is a very important moment for the Greek National Opera, as we bring to light a masterpiece of Greek sophisticated music, contributing to making our recent musical past known,” notes the GNO Artistic Director, Giorgos Koumendakis.

Flora mirabilis is described as “a musical legend in three acts”. The Italian libretto was penned by Ferdinando Fontana, who also crafted the librettos for Puccini’s first two melodramas. Its allegorical plot is set in medieval Sweden. The opera was first performed at the Carcano Theatre in Milan on 16 May 1886. It was so successful that the following year it was staged at La Scala in Milan, featuring notable figures. The performance was conducted by the esteemed conductor Franco Fazzio, and the leading role of Lidia was sung by Emma Calvé, one of the most famous female opera singers of the Belle Époque, celebrated for her performance in Carmen. Flora mirabilis was Samaras’ first significant international success, which was performed at various Italian theatres, as well as venues in Cologne and Vienna. Its music aligns with the spirit of late 19th-century Italian composers, such as Puccini, Mascagni, and Leoncavallo.

Unfortunately, the opera’s score was destroyed, along with a significant part of the Italian publishing house Casa Musicale Sonzogno’s archive in 1943, during the Allied forces’ bombardment of Milan. The only thing that survived was the edition of the reduction for voices and piano, which had been released in numerous copies and was widespread in many libraries and private collections. This edition served as the basis for the Greek National Opera’s revival of the work in April 1979, which led to a new arrangement by the legendary maestro Odysseas Dimitriadis, who also conducted the performances.

However, almost a decade ago, a significant portion of the original orchestral musical material was discovered in the musical archives of the “Mantzaros” Philharmonic Society on Corfu. In 2016, a copy of this material was entrusted exclusively to the Greek National Opera. This new material, along with the surviving original arrangement of two dance excerpts stored in the GNO Musical Library, was reviewed by musicologist, clarinetist, and Associate Professor at the Ionian University, Yannis Samprovalakis (Hellenic Music Centre). Samprovalakis complemented and restored the opera’s original arrangement, and also curated the new edition of the score.

Samprovalakis notes, “the entire process, from the beginning, felt interesting, mysterious, fascinating, and at the same time exhausting, yet the final result vindicated all the struggle,” adding that “we hope that the rest of the opera’s original material is found soon. Until then, however, there will be no reason why opera-loving audiences should be deprived of this treasure by the great Corfiot composer.” The work will be presented for the first time by the GNO in its new, restored edition.

The emerging Greek conductor Konstantinos Terzakis returns to the Greek National Opera’s podium to lead the GNO Orchestra. Having carved out a significant career abroad, Terzakis has been living in the United Kingdom since 2019, where he also completed his postgraduate studies in orchestral conducting (with Martyn Brabbins, Garry Walker, and Alasdair Mitchell) on a full scholarship from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He served as assistant conductor for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (2022/23). In 2022, he was selected as a conducting fellow at the Lucerne Festival Academy, and in 2021, he was chosen to participate in the Klangspuren Schwaz festival with the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA). He has collaborated with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Sinfonietta Dresden, the Epidaurus Festival, the Symphony Orchestra of the City of Athens, Ergon Ensemble, the Greek Composers’ Union, and TETTTIX.

The concert will feature four remarkable protagonists from the GNO, who will take the stage at the Stavros Niarchos Hall right after returning from the GNO tour in China with Giuseppe Verdi’s La traviata.

The distinguished Greek bass-baritone Yanni Yannissis will perform as the Prince Christian of Örebro. He has appeared at the world’s most prestigious opera houses, including the New York Metropolitan Opera, La Monnaie, and many other venues in Scotland, Frankfurt, and beyond, alongside leading opera figures such as Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, and James Levine.

The exceptional soprano Vassiliki Karayanni will portray Lydia. She has consistently worked with the GNO, performing some of the most iconic roles for a coloratura soprano, and has successfully appeared at some of the world’s leading opera houses, festivals, and concert venues, such as the Royal Opera House in London, La Scala in Milan, and the Komische Oper Berlin, among others.

The role of the Count of Adelfiord will be sung by the renowned baritone Dionysios Sourbis. He has delivered many successful performances at prestigious venues, including the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Athens Concert Hall, Teatro Malibran in Venice, Treviso Opera House, Teatro Regio di Torino, Opera di Roma, Opéra de Rennes in France, Gran Teatro Nacional del Perú, and the Royal Opera House (Covent Garden), among others. Additionally, he has won first prizes in several international competitions.

The renowned tenor Yannis Christopoulos will portray Valdo. He has collaborated with all the major Greek orchestras and has performed in numerous productions and concerts at international and Greek festivals, as well as on theatre stages such as the Greek Festival, Dimitria Festival, Nicosia Festival, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival, Carnegie Hall, Madrid Auditorio Nacional de Música, Cairo Opera, and more.

The GNO Chorus will be conducted by Agathangelos Georgakatos.