Twilight of the Debts

Kharálampos Goyós - Dimitris Dimopoulos - Alexandros Efklidis

Twilight of the Debts

The famous, talked-about opera in paraphrase comes on GNO TV

Available for on-demand screening
from 14 March until 31 July 2021

on nationalopera.gr/gnotv/en

The controversial opera in paraphrase Twilight of the Debts, which launched the first official season of Greek National Opera's Alternative Stage at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, comes to GNO TV. It is a radical adaptation of Richard Wagner's Twilight of the Gods, transcribed by Kharálampos Goyós, based on a libretto by Dimitris Dimopoulos and directed for the stage by Alexandros Efklidis.

The length of Wagner's original 5-hour work has been reduced by half and brought down to chamber format, with 11 singers and a 9-member musical ensemble taking the place of the massive Wagnerian orchestra and chorus.

Besides the reduction of the opera's original dimensions, this production puts forth a version of Wagner adjusted to the Greek imaginary, with a new libretto in Greek, thus turning the original work -already rich in political reflection- into an explosive political melodrama raising questions about the contemporary European reality, just as Wagner did in his own turbulent era. This distinctive reading of Wagner's masterpiece is ably supported by a cast consisting of several of GNO's leading actor-singers.

Twilight of the Debts is the third operatic paraphrase by the creative team of Kharálampos Goyós, Alexandros Efklidis and Dimitris Dimopoulos. The first two, Yasou Aida! and AirRossini, met with great success in Athens, Thessaloniki and Berlin, opening the way to more experimental operatic readings.

Twilight of the Debts at a glance

In Twilight of the Debts, several of Wagner's original's motifs, the famous "leitmotifs", are replaced by widely known Greek musical themes, such as the Greek National Anthem and other popular tunes, thus producing a palimpsest, in which the Wagnerian creation engages in an immediate dialogue with the emotive world of the Greek audience. The added Greek musical motives are detailed in the special, innovative subtitle track that accompanies the show, exclusively for the viewers of GNO TV.

From Wagner's mythical narrative, the creators borrow the fall of Valhalla, abode of the gods, replaced here with the Holy Rock of the Acropolis, a timeless symbol of the Greek and Western civilisations.

The Greek Brunhilde (Julia Souglakou), personification of the people and counterpart to the Valkyrie, daughter of the ruler of the gods in Wagner's opera, offers through her vote the succession ring to her political Hero, Sotiris (Dimitris Paksoglou), the Greek counterpart of Siegfried, hoping that he won't betray her like his predecessors and that he will manage to break the perpetual cycle of debt that is tormenting them.

Opera in paraphrase

Twilight of the Debts

Richard Wagner

Available on GNO TV until 31 July 2021

The production was recorded on 12 and 14 of October 2017 on the GNO Alternative Stage at the SNFCC. With Greek and English subtitles.

Transcription - Conductor Kharálampos Goyós

Libretto Dimitris Dimopoulos

Concept - Stage director Alexandros Efklidis

Set and costume designer Konstantinos Zamanis

Lighting designer Melina Mascha

Dramaturg Eleni Triantafyllopoulou

Brunhilde Julia Souglakou

Sotiris Dimitris Paksoglou

Merten Tassos Apostolou

Modernisation / Old Man / Metternich Yanni Yannissis

Reason / Third Melina / First Woman from Souli: Myrto Bocolini

Second Melina / Second Woman from Souli: Irini Karaianni

Busts Vasilis Dimakopoulos, Yannis Filias, Yannis Kalyvas, Michalis Katsoulis

Musicians

Theodora Iordanidou (flute)

Maria Sifnaiou (oboe)

Stathis Manatos (clarinet)

Manos Ventouras (horn)

Maria Neofytidou - Yiannis Tsanakaliotis (piano)

Dionysis Vervitsiotis (violin)

Angelos Liakakis (violoncello)

Yiorgos Arnis (double bass)

With the admission of 5€ the viewers:

• can enjoy the show using the platform of GNOTV in the comfort of their home, during the time of their preference, through a PC, an ipad, a TV or even a smartphone.
• can watch the show an unlimited amount of times for a 30-day period, since the first watch.
• can gain access to the online programme of the show.

Founding Donor of the Alternative Stage & Production donor

Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) [ www.SNF.org ]