Greek National Opera to Present FALSTAFF by Stephen Langridge in January

The Greek National Opera will present the premiere of a new production of Verdi's Falstaff, staged by acclaimed opera director and Artistic Director of the Glyndebourne Festival Stephen Langridge, conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi. Falstaff will run for six performances spanning January 26-February 7 on the Greek National Opera's main stage at Stavros Niarchos Hall in Athens. This production was made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) [www.SNF.org] to enhance the GNO's artistic outreach.

Produced by the Greek National Opera in tandem with SNF, this production is a GNO milestone, marking the first Athens performances of Falstaff since the 1993 production by late GNO Artistic Director Spyros Evangelatos. Langridge returns to the GNO, following his successful 2016 debut with Bizet's Carmen (revived in 2018), with his first-ever Falstaff.

Verdi's final opera takes inspiration from Shakespeare's comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor, centering the action around aging, washed-up knight Sir John Falstaff, whose tragicomic adventures drive the operatic plot. Originally set in the 15th century during the reign of King Henry IV, Langridge updates the setting to the 20th century, heightening its thematic and comedic relevance to our present day. He explains:

"Our production is set in England in the 1930s. A time between the wars (Falstaff was an old soldier), with a scandalous Prince of Wales (like Hal in Henry IV) who will briefly become King Edward VIII, and a time when the hierarchies are rigid, with social class more respected than money. Falstaff is based on Shakespeare's only fully English comedy, but the end is pure Verdi / Boito. "Tutto nel mondo è burla" [all the world's a jest] is their conclusion - and when we look around us at today's chaotic world we can only agree, and then perhaps head off to the pub for a pint of warm ale and a laugh with Sir John!"

Falstaff will be conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi, the current honorary principal conductor at Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. He has conducted at prominent opera houses such as La Scala, The Metropolitan Opera, Opéra Bastille, and the Royal Albert Hall, among others. A specialist in Italian repertoire, he studied under Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa.

Greek baritone Dimitri Platanias makes his role debut as the titular Falstaff, headlining a cast including baritone Tassis Christoyannis as Ford; tenor Vassilis Kavayas as Fenton; soprano Cellia Costea as Alice Ford; soprano Marilena Striftobola as Nannetta; mezzo-soprano Anna Agathonos as Mistress Quickly; and mezzo-soprano Chrysanthi Spitadi as Meg Page.

Following Falstaff the season continues at Stavros Niarchos Hall with a double bill of Themelis Glynatsis' new production of Béla Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle paired with the revival of John Fulljames' Gianni Schicchi by Puccini on March 9-24, conducted by Vassilis Christopoulos.

Performance Details:

Falstaff
Giuseppe Verdi
January 26, 29 & February 1, 5, 7, 10
Starts at: 7:30 p.m. (Sunday at 6:30 p.m.)
Stavros Niarchos Hall of the Greek National Opera - SNFCC
Conductor: Pier Giorgio Morandi
Director: Stephen Langridge
Sets, costumes: George Souglides
Choreography: Dan O'Neill
Lighting: Peter Mumford
Chorus master: Agathangelos Georgakatos
Children's chorus master: Konstantina Pitsiakou
Sir John Falstaff: Dimitri Platanias
Ford: Tassis Christoyannis
Fenton: Vassilis Kavayas
Dr Caius: Nicholas Stefanou
Bardolfo: Yannis Kalyvas
Pistola: Yanni Yannissis
Alice Ford: Cellia Costea
Nannetta: Marilena Striftobola
Mistress Quickly: Anna Agathonos
Meg Page: Chrysanthi Spitadi
With the Orchestra, Chorus and the Children's Chorus of the Greek National Opera (as part of its educational mission)

Tickets are available now from the GNO Box Office and online here.
Ticket prices: €15, €20, €35, €40, €50, €55, €65, €80
Students, children: €15
Limited visibility seats: €10

Lead Donor of the GNO
Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)

ABOUT GREEK NATIONAL OPERA

Founded in 1939, the Greek National Opera is a public body and the sole opera house in Greece. It produces and stages operas, musical theater, operettas, and ballets, and multi-disciplinary productions for its two stages at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), the Stavros Niarchos Hall and the Alternative Stage, as well as at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an open-air theater in the center of Athens. The company's repertory covers four centuries of lyrical theater, from the works of Claudio Monteverdi to those of contemporary composers. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Greek National Opera were both founded in 1939 alongside the opera company, then a part of the Royal Theatre, and a Children's Chorus was founded in 2012. In addition to its opera programming, the GNO also encompasses the GNO Professional School of Dance, as well as education and community programs aimed at all age groups.

The GNO is one of Europe's most innovative opera houses with a unique artistic identity that engages global talent and inspires large and diverse audiences. Led by artistic director Giorgos Koumendakis and supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) [www.SNF.org], its mission is to offer audiences high caliber productions by presenting operas, ballets, operettas, operas for children, and music recitals, among other events. The GNO's main source of funding is the Greek State and the Ministry of Culture and Sports. Over 60% of its annual budget is covered by state funding, with the rest coming from ticket proceeds, private sponsorship, and grants. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is the Greek National Opera's biggest donor and to date, its grants to the GNO amount to €27.5 million.

A turning point in its history came in 2017 when the GNO relocated to a new state-of-the-art building at the architecturally striking Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC), which was conceived, designed, constructed, and equipped with a substantial grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). Following completion, the SNFCC was delivered to the Greek state and the public in February 2017 through the SNF's largest grant initiative to date, totalling €618 million. Assisted by a €5 million grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), the GNO relocated from Athens' Olympia Theatre to the SFNCC and the two, purpose-built theaters designed by Renzo Piano, doubling its audience capacity to 1,400 seats in the opera hall and also doubling its ticket revenues.

The hall's inaugural production in October 2017 was Strauss' Elektra, starring the celebrated Greek mezzo Agnes Baltsa as Klytaemnestra. In 2019 a major grant of €20 million was announced by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) to support the implementation of a four-year programming and development plan that will enhance the artistic outreach of the GNO and increase the promotion of its work overseas. In 2020 the GNO celebrated its 80th anniversary, commissioning and presenting works to reintroduce itself to the Greek and global audience through its new artistic identity and mission. This programming has included, among others: Verdi's Don Carlo, a co-production of the Royal Opera House, London, the Metropolitan Opera, New York, and the Norwegian National Opera ,Oslo, directed by Sir Nicholas Hytner; Berg's Wozzeck directed by Olivier Py; Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk directed by Fanny Ardant; Marina Abramović's 7 Deaths of Maria Callas, a co-production with Opéra national de Paris, Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Teatro di San Carlo; Verdi's Otello, a co-production with Festspiel Baden-Baden directed by Robert Wilson; Mozart's Don Giovanni, a co-production with the Göteborg Opera and the Royal Danish Opera directed by John Fulljames; and Verdi's Rigoletto, directed by the artistic director of the Athens Festival Katerina Evangellatos.

For more information, visit nationalopera.gr/en.