“Silence, the King is Listening” by Nikos Kypourgos Directed by: Athanasios Kolalas A co-production of the National Theatre of Northern Greece with The Region of Central Macedonia and the Municipality of Thessaloniki Venue: Eptapyrgio (Eptapyrgio Festival) Dates: 21, 22 & 23 June 2023 Duration: 60 minutes Α few words about the play
Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and (improbably!) dedicated to the memory of the American pioneering composer John Cage, Silence, the King Is Listening is, at the same time, an ideal introduction of younger as well as (why not?) older spectators to the concepts, techniques and tools of musical composition, and also a hilarious, ruthless attack to all kinds of hypocritical snobbery that deaden musical creation and reception.
Deftly poised between operatic traditionalism and playful postmodernism, “Silence, the King Is Listening” tells the story of a music-loving, though intolerable king who is never satisfied, no matter what pieces of music his court musician plays. The musician is roused from his despair by the Muse, who seizes the opportunity to return to a job she had not practised since the glorious eras of Schubert, Mozart and Bach. She enlists the help of the seven notes of the musical scale, inspiring the musician to write a wonderful piece – which once again fails to satisfy the king! It’s time, therefore, for the imagination to give (as always!) a solution…
Source: NIKOS KYPOURGOS: SILENCE, THE KING IS LISTENING
Credits Music: Nikos Kypourgos, Libretto: Thomas Moschopoulos, Nikos Kypourgos, Music director: Haris Iliadis / Alexandros Pourloukakis, Direction - Sets - Costumes: Athanasios Kolalas, Lighting: Sarantos Zourntos With: Alexandros Tzovani, Eleni Dimopoulou, Alexandros Stavropoulos, Anastasia-Sofia Anastasopoulou, Maria Kondylidou, Giota Kontou, Konstantina Michailidou, Vasiliki Baxevanidou, Kiki Tsaliki, Kallipateira Chatzikalimeri, Anna Kyriakidou, Manos Galanis, Christos Ntaraktsis, Giannis Karamfilis