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Libretto                                                                                                                                                

The opera “Antigone” is the third of the trilogy Medea, Elektra and Antigone. The text (libretto, lyrics) of Antigone are a mix of the plays written by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides and has been written by Mikis Theodorakis. I found this information on the website of Schott Music, today. Because the text is in Greek I do not know how the story-line of the opera is: Euripides created another end than Sophocles. For the first time I find also the name Aeschylus. In the information about Aeschylus I cannot find anything about Antigone, but there is some about his competition with Sophocles about the play Oedipus. Aeschylus has won it. Interesting is also that “Aeschylus was a deep, religious thinker”, I read in wiki. “Few poets have ever presented evil in such stark and tragic terms.” And: “Aeschylus was a soldier and playwright.” (Soldier?!….)

From left to right: Aeschylus, Euripides, Sophocles and Mikis Theodorakis

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Antigone (Opera): the music and the principle characters                                        

How cruel and barbaric the story might be: the music is beautiful. I am not an opera-fan, but the more I listen here, because of all the posts, and the more I have digged up and learned, the more I love the music and longing finally to listen the entire opera.

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• Composer – Mikis Theodorakis
• Libretto after texts by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides by Mikis Theodorakis
• Years of composition: 1994-1996

The following information belongs to the video: a recording from 1999:

• Oedipus – Yorgos Pappas (Bass)
• Antigone – Tzeni Drivala (Soprano)
• Creon – Dimitris Kasioumis (Baritone)
• Coryphacus – Pavlos Sampsakis (Bass Baritone)
• Haemon – Zachos Terzakis (Tenor) (Interview in the following post)

• Jocasta – Dafne Evagelatou (Mezzo Soprano)
• Enteocles – Panayiotis Athanasopoulus (Baritone)
• Polynices – Tasis Christogianopoulus (Tenor)
• Choir – National Opera Choir
• Orchestra – Athens State Orchestra
• Conductor – Loukas Karytinos
• Year – 1999

Act 1
Scene 1. Before the walls of Thebes 00:01
Scene 2. First Episode, The interor of the fortress at Thebes 15:32
Scene 2. Second Episode, Enter Polynices 26:02
Scene 2. Third Episode 52:26

Act 2
Scene 3. First Episode, Before the Palace (Enter Antigone) 00:01
Scene 4. Second Episode 21:04
Scene 4. Enter Haemon, outside the walls 37:06
Scene 5. Finale, A cave 48:12

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Sources and additional information  

• Antigone, part 1:  The meaning of Transforming Evil
• Antigone, part 2:  The cruel story of Oedipus
• Antigone, part 3:  Who is Antigone?
• Website: Zachos Terzakis
• Wolf Marloh: Photo Mikis Theodorakis

Updated: 21 November 2015