From the rehearsals of the American Dream-Team for the opera "OLYMPIC FLAME" by Panagiotis Karousos

The entire team of the opera «Olympic Flame" the American Dream-Team in Athens Square in Astoria, New York

The stage rehearsals for the opera "OLYMPIC FLAME" by internationally acclaimed Greek-Canadian composer Panagiotis Karousos, completed with great success in New York. All artists are amazing and love the work. A real opera dream-team!

The mezzo-soprano Ola Rafalo as Alcmene, the soprano Elisabeth Shoup as Deianeira, and the soprano Stella Papatheodorou as Macaria rehearsing in the Music Academy of Long Island City

The opera "OLYMPIC FLAME" by Panagiotis Karousos will be presented in New York under the patronage of the Club for UNESCO Piraeus & Islands, Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Tor Morten Kjøsnes, Stella Papatheodorou, Demetrios Tsinopoulos,

Elisabeth Shoup, Kofi Hayford, Viktoriya Koreneva, Ola Rafalo

In the Long Island City Academy of Music completed the musical rehearsals of the opera OLYMPIC FLAME by Panagiotis Karousos to be presented on July 5 in New York in the Summer Festival of Astoria (Athens Square Park Summer Festival 2016). 
The stage rehearsals were in Athens Square (Athens Square Park) in Astoria where the opera will be presented. The new production of the opera with costumes will be the first Greek opera staging in an Open Air Festival in America.

Viktoriya Koreneva, Ola Rafalo, Elisabeth Shoup, Stella Papatheodorou

Modern masterpiece opera "Olympic Flame" by Panagiotis Karousos, made his triumphant debut at Lincoln Center last April. Now return back to the United States for a stage production at the Summer Festival of Astoria to mark the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016. The Olympic Flame by Panagiotis Karousos is an opera in two acts related to the myth of Hercules and the establishment of the Olympic Games, and will be held in ancient Greek costumes and directing.

Demetrios Tsinopoulos as Hercules and Elisabeth Shoup as Deianira

Tuesday 5 July 2016 at 7pm

Athens Square Park 30th ave and 30th st

Astoria, NY 11102 United States

Greek Nights Summer Program 2016

Kofi Hayford as King Euristheas and Viktoriya Koreneva as High Pristess

Cast:

Hercules: Tsinopoulos Demetrios, tenor

Deianeira: Elisabeth Shoup, soprano

Alcmene: Ola Rafalo, mezzo-soprano

Hyllus & Prometheus: Kofi Hayford, bass

Blessed & Iole: Stella Papatheodorou, soprano

Great Priestess: Viktoriya Koreneva, mezzo-soprano

Tor Morten Kjøsnes, piano

Production Team, directed by: Eli Marcus & Despina Chrissochos

Ola Rafalo, Elisabeth Shoup, Stella Papatheodorou, Demetrios Tsinopoulos,

Eli Marcus, Viktoriya Koreneva, Kofi Hayford

The Greek nights at the Summer Timetable Athens Plaza

Panos Adamopoulos, Program Director

George Delis, Sponsor

Under the auspices of the Group for UNESCO Piraeus and Islands,

and Ioannis Maronitis, President

Organized by UNESCO of Piraeus and Islands NY Chapter

& Director of Modern Music Billy Chrissochos

Co-production: Hellenic American Center of the Arts

hellenicamericancenterofthearts.blogspot.com/

Porphyra Corp- www.Porphyraband.com.

Demetrios Tsinopoulos, Stella Papatheodorou

The "Olympic Flame" by Panagiotis Karousos is the first Greek opera ever presented at the prestigious Lincoln Center in New York.
The Olympic Flame (Montreal, 2005) is an opera in two acts, and is associated with the myth of Hercules and the establishment of the Olympic Games.
The Olympic Flame is the second operatic work of Panagiotis Karousos.
Along with "Prometheus" (Montreal 1994) and "Alexander the Great" (Canada 2007) complete a trilogy depicting the greatness of the human spirit and humanity of "Ancient Greeks". Humanity refers to the philosophical works of Greek antiquity and clearly shows that we are all descendants of the culture and civilization of that era.
The opera, based on the Olympic Flame as it unfolds, gives us the fundamental concept behind the ancient Greek religious ritual.

Hercules: Demetrios Tsinopoulos - Iole: Stella Papatheodorou

Flame torch as we know from the Olympics is basically a simple memory / representation of the flame, which Prometheus stole from the gods and brought it to the people. The flame of knowledge from which civilizations were born. In Greek antiquity was a religious ritual, in order to bring people closer to the gods.

The first act of the opera includes poems by Homer (Homer's hymns), Pindar (Olympic anthems 'Olympian') and Hesiod (Works and Days).
The second act of the opera is based on the tragedy "Trachiniae" by Sophocles.
On Trachiniae, described the sufferings of Hercules and the atonement of Deianeira, with her tragic death. The operatic tragedy "Olympic Flame" shows the Greek mythology and philosophy with Doric lyricism, and as a musical drama projects a contribution to world culture.

Tor Morten Kjøsnes

The composition and orchestration of the opera is affected by the post-romantic era in music and other classical elements of Greek antiquity thus give an avant-garde opera of the new millennium. The work holds in a dominant position, as in other works of Panagiotis Karousos, the exaltation of lyricism, which is associated with the ancient Greek tragedy.

Ola Rafalo as Alcmene and Elisabeth Shoup as Deianira

The opera makes World Premiere at the Cathedral of Montreal (Notre-Dame Basilica ) with soloists, choir and large Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Andre Gauthier. In Greece, the opera was presented in the Old Parliament House, with costumes directed by bass Vasilis Asimakopoulos who starred in the project and Deianeira soprano Irini Konsta among other fine soloists.

Ola Rafalo as Alcmene, Kofi Hayford as Hyllus and Elisabeth Shoup as Deianira

The bel-canto style of arias and the melancholy romanticism highlighting the work as an important operatic masterpiece of the new era, "an original outbreak of lyricism to the opera". Together with Prometheus and Alexander the Great is the most important musical dramas of Greek classical music.

Hyllus: Kofi Hayford, bass - Macaria: Stella Papatheodorou, soprano

Co-sponsors:

Long Island City Academy of Music

44-02 23rd Street, Long Island City, NY 11101

www.licmusicacademy.com

Athens Square Park 

www.athenssquarepark.org