Cast:
Protomastoras, Tenor
Smaragda, Soprano
Minstrel, Soprano
Mother , Alto
The Lord, Baritone
An Old Man, Bass
Orchestra: 3 3 4 3 - 4 4 3 1 - Τimpani, Percussion, 2 Harps, Strings, and 6 Trumpets on the stage., δouble mixed choir (and ballet)
Duration: 2:45'
[Fivos Anoyanakis]
O Protomastoras, lit., the master craftsman, the head of a construction guild; here, the master mason (the main personage in Kazantzakis' tragedy. O Protomastoras (1908), celebrated in the folksong The Bridge of Arta, according to an old legend, must sacrifice his young wife to the bridge in order to secure the stability of its construction, which "... all day, they were building it, each night it fell down". In Protomastoras, Kalomiris consciously uses the Wagnerian leitmotif technique, with the intention, however, to create an opera of "Greek character". The composer has compiled and published an index of the leitmotifs of O Protomastoras as well as for two other operas: Anatoli and Konstantinos Paleologos.
Kazantzakis, Nikos (1883 – 1957), a towering figure of international reputation in Greek literature. He initially faced great hostility in Greece for his use of an extreme form of the demotic in his writing, as well as for his political and philosophical beliefs. Kazantzakis travelled extensively throughout Europe and Asia, later writing his impressions. He translated into modern Greek Homer's Iliad, Dante's Divina Commedia, wrote an Odyssey (a sequel to the Homeric one, consisting of some 33,000 lines), drams, epic poetry, novels, etc. Kalomiris used two tragedies of Kazantzakis, the Protomastoras and Konstantinos Paleologos as the subjects of his first and last operas.
[Notes by Maria Voelker-Kamarinea]
For detailed information about Kazantzakis' life and work you can visit the website of the Nikos Kazantzakis Museum.
SUMMARY OF THE PLOT
Bibliography (Books, Papers, Articles, Notes, etc.)
Andreou, Konstantinos, Wagnerian insemination in Manolis Kalomiris's Oeuvre. The case of "O Protomastoras", Thesis submitted for the Degree of Research Master of Arts, Faculty of Arts and the Humanities, University of Utrecht, December 2010.
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Audio
Manolis Kalomiris, The Masterbuilder, Overture, beginning of Part A, Scene A: Chorus of Gipsy women & Builders, Harvesters & their Wives, Old Man. [link]
Staging 25 January 2008, Greek National Opera, co-production with the Athens Megaron, Megaron, the Athens Concert Hall - Alexandra Trianti Hall. Conductor: Elias Voudouris, staging Thomas Moschopoulos, sets Lili Pezanou, costumes Angelos Mentis.
Smaragda, Kerri Marcinko / Masterbuilder, Avgust Amonov / Singer, Mina Polychronou / Master, Dimitris Platanias / Mother, Alexandra Papajakou / Old Man, Christophoros Stamboglis.
