Opera Prometheus bound by Aeschylus with music and libretto by Panagiotis Karousos

The Club for UNESCO of Piraeus and Islands and the International Action Art
Present the Opera Prometheus bound by Aeschylus with music and libretto by Panagiotis Karousos at Megaron - Athens Concert Hall.
Thursday, May 7, 2026 | 8:00 PM - Free admission

Music Library of Greece "Lilian Voudouri" of The Friends of Music Society at the Athens Concert Hall. The performance is dedicated to World Greek Language Day.

Greetings: Ioannis Maronitis, President of the Club for UNESCO of Piraeus and Islands

Starring:
Prometheus: Nikos Flakas, bass-baritone
Io: Irini Konsta, soprano
Oceanid: Hlin Leifsdottir, soprano
Via-Athena: Rea Voudouri, soprano
Ocean-Hermes: Thanasis Lianos, tenor
Sea Nymph: Sofia Mantzakou, soprano
State: Giannis Darios, tenor
Participating actors:
Goddess Hera: Despina Mirou
Leader: Tissa Vasilaki
Amphitrite: Vasiliki Iosifidou
Hephaestus: Konstantinos Kalavrytinos
Musical direction: Harry Giann, piano
Musical Ensemble "Rapsodes" Christiana Manou, piano
Rehearsal coordination-supervision: Rhea Voudouri
Stage director: Irini Konsta
Artistic director: Panagiotis Carousos

A few words about the opera:
The opera "Prometheus Bound" by Panagiotis Karousos connects ancient Greek tragedy with opera.

Starting from the Prosody and the accentuation of the words of the ancient Greek language, the separation of sounds based on the Monochord and the harmony of the spheres of Pythagoras, which is the basis of all Western music, with the opera Prometheus Bound we pass through all the musical movements of classical music up to our days. However, as all works are characterized by a basic element, so in this opera the voices of the performers have a primary role. The musical writing tied to the classical forms of the arias is based on the melody that refers us to bel canto and verismo. The orchestration is based on Wagnerian forms with the brass instruments in the main motifs and a rich dramatic sound of warm romanticism.

However, beyond the established values ​​of ancient Greek literature, the timeless messages and the laws of opera that the work respects, this opera leads us to the future of humanity, which is the discovery and understanding of the Universe.
History of the work:

Prometheus was first presented in Montreal, Canada, at the Place des Arts, and was performed intermittently in French until 2006. The work is based on the homonymous tragedy by Aeschylus "Prometheus Bound" translated by Griparis. In 2008, it was staged in New York and Washington, USA, under the direction of conductor Grant Gilman. In Greece, Prometheus was performed at the Municipal Theaters of Cholargos, Corinth, Chalkida, Salamis, Kallithea, Argostoli, Ithaca, the Parnassos Concert Hall, the Old Parliament, the Veakeio Theater, the Polychoro of the Municipality of Athens, the Theater of Ancient Messina, the Ancient Agora, the National Archaeological Museum and the Small Theater of Ancient Epidaurus, and the Prisons of Socrates, Hill of the Muses (Filopappou). In March 2014, the opera "Prometheus Bound" starring Vasilis Asimakopoulos was presented at the Queens' Mamie Fay Auditorium and at the UN at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, representing Greece at UNESCO. It was the first time in the history of Greek opera that a work traveled from Greece to America. Under the direction of conductor Eleftherios Kalkanis, it was presented on the Third Program of ERT and at the "Parnassos" Concert Hall. In 2016, it was presented at the Sorbonne University in Paris (Richelieu Amphitheatre of the Sorbonne) with the following protagonists: Vasilis Asimakopoulos, Irini Konsta, Vanessa Kalkanis, Kassandra Dimopoulou, Philippos Modinos, and Victoria-Fioralba Kiazimi on piano, and in 2017 at the Sofia National Opera and Ballet.

In 2024, the opera was presented at the Municipal Theater of Piraeus and at the Theatre of the NO, the first English-speaking theater in Athens in a series of performances in English.
In 2025, it was presented at the Educational Group - Greek-English Education.
The opera was also presented for a number of years in schools with an approved program of the Institute of Educational Policy (IEP), of the Ministry of Education, for Secondary Education with an introductory seminar "Prosody as a connecting link between opera and ancient Greek tragedy". The melodic power of Prometheus has made great personalities speak with enthusiasm, including the Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau, while in a presentation of the work on the Third Program of ERT it was described as divine.