NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS: AN ODYSSEY IN MUSIC to Open at Carnegie Hall

For the first time, the Greek National Opera (GNO) will travel to New York with its Orchestra to present a special concert featuring works by Greek composers inspired by the life, work, and legacy of Nikos Kazantzakis. Nikos Kazantzakis: An Odyssey in Music will offer New York audiences a wide-ranging survey of Greek art music on Thursday, October 15, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. at Carnegie Hall’s historic Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage.

The program brings together landmark works by Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, Nikos Skalkottas, Dimitri Mitropoulos, and GNO Artistic Director and composer Giorgos Koumendakis. Internationally acclaimed Greek conductor and Graz Opera Chief Conductor Vassilis Christopoulos will lead the GNO Orchestra, with performances by world-renowned mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili and Greek soprano Maria Kostraki, alongside the Manos Hadjidakis Ensemble.

The concert is made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) to enhance the Greek National Opera’s artistic outreach and is part of the celebratory events marking SNF’s 30 years of grantmaking.

Nikos Kazantzakis—the most widely translated Greek author in the world—has been an enduring and abundant source of inspiration for Greek composers throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Through music and film, his work has reached audiences around the globe, making him one of Greece’s most internationally recognised literary figures. Works such as Zorba the Greek, Captain Michalis, Christ Recrucified, The Last Temptation, and Ascetics have introduced generations of readers worldwide to Greek culture and thought

Profoundly philosophical and tragic, yet deeply rooted in lived experience and the lives of ordinary people, Kazantzakis’ work confronts fundamental questions of freedom, fate, faith, and human transcendence. The poetic and dramatic power of his writing has attracted generations of prominent Greek composers, who have sought to capture in music the intensity, contemplation, and existential force of his world.

Kazantzakis’ influence on the musical repertoire extends across at least five genres: symphonic music, opera, ballet, theatre music, and film music. Works inspired by his writing have served not only as musical interpretations of his texts, but also as creative dialogues between literature and music, playing an important role in shaping the musical and broader artistic identity of modern Greece. Requiring no translation, the universal language of music offers perhaps the ideal medium through which to take audiences on a journey into Kazantzakis’ world.

The program brings together generations of Greek composers who, despite their distinct aesthetics and artistic paths, found inspiration in the spiritual world of Nikos Kazantzakis and in the island of Crete—whether as a homeland, a source of cultural heritage, or a powerful symbol.

Kazantzakis’ novel Captain Michalis was a major source of inspiration for Manos Hadjidakis (1925–1994), who composed the music for a 1966 theatrical adaptation of the novel. In Hadjidakis’ score, Kazantzakian themes of freedom, sacrifice, and inner conflict are transformed not into an epic narrative, but into a lyrical and existential commentary. The music illuminates the protagonist’s inner world while entering into a rich dialogue with Kazantzakis’ words, offering an independent artistic interpretation of the work. Soprano Maria Kostraki will perform selections from Captain Michalis, accompanied by the Manos Hadjidakis Ensemble.

Perhaps the most internationally recognizable musical incarnation of Kazantzakis’ work is Mikis Theodorakis’ (1925–2021) Zorbas. Through his score for Michael Cacoyannis’ film adaptation of Zorba the Greek (Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas), Theodorakis gave Kazantzakis’ hero a distinctive musical identity and voice. The celebrated “Zorba’s Dance,” in particular, became known around the world and closely associated with Greek culture. Renowned mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili will be featured in the performance.

Giorgos Koumendakis (b. 1959) draws on Kazantzakis’ philosophy and spirit in his symphonic work Amor Fati (2007). Through abstract orchestral writing and without the use of traditional instruments, Koumendakis evokes Cretan music and its distinctive ‘kontylies’ style. Written to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Kazantzakis’ death, Amor Fati explores the Kazantzakian concept of embracing one’s fate, while reflecting the composer’s own profound connection to Cretan musical identity. Amor Fati will receive its American premiere at this concert.

The program will also feature two distinctive works of Greek art music inspired by the centuries-old history and folk traditions of Crete, the island that so profoundly shaped Kazantzakis.

The Three Cretan Dances by Nikos Skalkottas (1904–1949) draw directly on Crete and its musical traditions. One of the leading figures of modern Greek music, Skalkottas composed in styles ranging from the Greek National School and neoclassicism to atonality and twelve-tone technique. His most emblematic work, the 36 Greek Dances, draws on folk songs and traditional melodies from throughout Greece, capturing the remarkable diversity and distinctive musical character of the country’s regions.

Dimitri Mitropoulos (1896–1960), deeply inspired by Cretan culture, composed Cretan Feast in 1919. A major 20th-century Greek conductor and a friend of Nikos Kazantzakis, Mitropoulos made his international debut with the Berlin Philharmonic and later built a distinguished career in the United States, where he served as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. Cretan Feast, one of his notable early piano works, was later orchestrated by Nikos Skalkottas.

The October 15 concert at Carnegie Hall forms part of the Greek National Opera’s international outreach strategy, building on its successful appearances across Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. The concert is held under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in New York and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.