PETRAS INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 2015
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF UNESCO PRESENT
THE GREEK OPERA OF PANAGIOTIS KAROUSOSUNDER THE AUSPICES OF UNESCO PRESENT
PROMETHEUS BOUND
SUNDAY 19 JULY 2015 9P.M.
Theatre Petras Festival “Minos Volanakis”
Petroupoli, Athens, Greece
Prometheus: Vasilis Asimakopoulos
Io/Athena: Irene Konsta
Via/Amfitriti: Vagia Kofou
Ocean/Hermes: Anastasios Stellas
Oceanide/Hera: Maria Lyberakou
Rania Zetta, viola
Musical direction: Victoria Kiazimi, piano
Stage direction: Vasilis Asimakopoulos
Based on Aeschylus tragedy “Prometheus Bound” by Panagiotis Karousos first premiered inMontreal, Canada in 1994 and played in French until 2000. In 1998 the work presented in Los Angeles at Beverly Hills City Hall with a great success. In 2008 represented in New York andWashington in English under the direction of maestro Grant Gilman, and American soloists from the opera of New York. The opera impressed with the high lyricism and characterized as a divine music composition work. In Greece Prometheus Bound presented at the Municipal Theatres of Athens, Salamina, Argostoli, Lixouri, Ithaca, Cholargos, Chalkis, at the Concert Hall of the Greek Writers, in “Parnassos” Concert Hall, in the Old Parliament House, at the Theatre Veakeio, and the Theatre “Jenny Karezi”. In 2013 bass Vasileios Asimakopoulos did unforgettable presentations of the opera as a director and leading role at the Little Theatre of Ancient Epidaurus, the Ancient Theatre Ekklesiasterion (Odeon) in Ancient Messene, the Ancient Agora at the Ancient Site of Acropolis, and the National Archeological Museum of Greece, and performed the main arias of the opera at “Parnassos” Concert Hall conducted by E. Kalkanis.
Panagiotis Karousos is a renowned Greek-Canadian composer who brings to his music the philosophy and spiritualism of the Greek classics. He successfully presented all his operas (Prometheus, Olympic Flame, Alexander the Great, Light of Christianity) around major North American cities. His Symphony No.1 “Liberty” presented in New York with the Astoria Symphony and maestro Silas Nathaniel Huff. His Piano Concerto No.1 performed in Montreal Canada under the auspices of UNESCO in 2000. Also his Symphony No.2 “Olympic” performed in Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal with the OSJL-L Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Andre Gauthier. In February 2014 the Symphony Orchestra of the City of Athens conducted by E. Kalkanis premiered his Symphony No.4 “Earth”. In 2014 the opera Prometheus Bound represented in New York, Queens and United Nations Headquarters in Manhattan with Vasilis Asimakopoulos in the leading role with great success.
Recently maestro Eleftherios Kalkanis conducted the opera with Hellenic Orchestra and soloists at the Concert Hall "Parnassos" and at the live broadcast concert of the composer in the National Radio "Trito Program" NERIT.
