Lead Donor of the GNO
The Greek National Opera revives the exceptionally successful opera for young audiences, The Emperor's Nightingale, by Lena Platonos, based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale of the same name. The production returns to the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the GNO at the SNFCC, with five performances for schools and four performances for families, running from 3 November 2026 to 10 January 2027.
What happens when the art of opera meets animation and the electronic sounds of synthesisers? The answer unfolds on the GNO stage, where Lena Platonos' distinctive sound world, live action, and moving images create a modern stage universe. Platonos wrote the work in 1989, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale of the same name, labelling it as a 'musical fairy tale with operatic elements.' After an enthusiastic audience reception during the 2018/19 season at the GNO Alternative Stage, the work returned in the 2019/20 season as a renewed, adapted version at the Stavros Niarchos Hall, continuing its successful trajectory. Today, the well-known tale, through Giorgos Voloudakis' libretto, is transformed into a modern parable about the unequal relationship between technology and humans, as well as the need to maintain contact with nature and with authentic creation.
The story unfolds in the Chinese Emperor's courtyard, in a world where technology seems to have permeated every aspect of life. Yet, despite living in luxury and amid technological achievements in his palace, the Emperor is deeply melancholic. The discovery of a real nightingale that lives freely in the palace's gardens and sings with its unique, enchanting voice moves him and connects him with something no technological achievement can offer. Until an electronic nightingale arrives at the palace as a gift... The Emperor is enchanted by its technological perfection, and somehow the electronic nightingale replaces the real one in the palace, even though its singing proves predictable. Only when the artificial construct stops functioning and he himself faces death, does the return of the real nightingale give the Emperor a second chance at life, restoring the vital force of art and nature.
Through her distinctive writing, which blends analogue and electronic sounds, Lena Platonos crafts a sonic universe of rare sensitivity, where the melody's simplicity meets imagination and innovation. The coexistence of natural and artificial sounds, the imaginative use of animation and live action, Platonos' melodic lines, and her virtuosic vocal writing combine to create a remarkable stage experience. The Emperor's Nightingale thus becomes an enchanting, multi-faceted introduction for children to the magical world of lyric art, while opening a dialogue about humanity's relationship with technology, nature, and authentic creation.
Katerina Petsatodi's stage direction-a director with a long presence in opera and music theatre, and the Stage Manager of the Greek National Opera-and Eirini Vianelli's animation-an award-winning director and animator, with important contributions to earlier productions of the Greek National Opera, including Don Quixote by the GNO Ballet and the recent production Even If You Go Away...-create a world that vibrates with colour and movement; a universe where palaces and gardens, machines and imaginary creatures coexist in a delicate balance between the natural and the artificial. Images become part of the storytelling, serving as yet another hero who evolves as the action progresses. As the stage director characteristically notes, she saw this work as 'a musical fairy tale that perfectly combines two seemingly unrelated yet ultimately harmoniously intertwined art forms, opera and animation, with inspiration, imagination, and resourcefulness.'
The creative team also includes Evangelia Therianou, who is responsible for the set; Alexia Theodoraki, who created the costumes; Christos Tziogkas, who designed the lighting; and Stergios Tsirliagos, who is in charge of the sound design. Michalis Papapetrou performs as an onstage musician and leads the production's musical preparation.
The production features a cast of renowned opera singers. Soprano Dimitra Kotidou returns to the GNO stage following her triumphant performance as Violetta Valéry in La traviata during the 2025/26 season and the production's tour to China. Baritone Haris Andrianos collaborates with the GNO again after his performances as Le Danca?re in Carmen during the 2025/26 season and as Ping in the emblematic Turandot in the 2024/25 season. Joining them onstage will be Dimitris Karatzas, Yannis Filias, Niki Chaziraki, and Nicolas Maraziotis.
Celebrated actress Maria Skoula performs as the narrator.
The Emperor's Nightingale is a profoundly poetic allegory that illustrates the value of authenticity over artificiality, the power of art that cannot be constrained, and the delicate balance between humanity and the world we create. With its enchanting simplicity and contemporary perspective, this work becomes a comprehensive stage experience that reaches and moves audiences of all ages.
