What is it?

The Master Builder is a musical tragedy by Manolis Kalomiris, a pioneer of opera and music theatre in modern Greece. First performed in 1916, it is based on a play by Nikos Kazantzakis, who later became famous as the author of Zorba the Greek. Although little known in Australia, The Master Builder is regarded as a classic in Greece. In 1943-1944 the role of the heroine, Smaragda, was sung by a very young, as yet unknown soprano called Maria Callas.

What is the work about?

The Master Builder and his men are constructing a bridge outside a village. But each time they get close to completion, the bridge collapses. In desperation the builders and the villagers seek advice from a wise woman, the Mother. She tells them the Master Builder himself is to blame; his mind is not on the work, he is distracted by love. The woman with whom he is infatuated must be sacrificed, must die.

We, the audience, know something which no-one else (except the Mother) knows: the Master Builder is in love with the beautiful Smaragda, the daughter of his employer, the Landlord of the village. But he will not reveal his beloved's identity, and they prepare to sacrifice him instead, when suddenly Smaragda herself rushes forward...

You'll see the rest on stage!

Why the Master Builder?

We want to give the Australian (and Greek-Australian) public a chance to enjoy a branch of modern Greek culture which is not so well known. Greek composers have created a rich body of opera and orchestral music, which makes creative use of ancient musical traditions. As far as we know, no Greek opera has ever been performed in Sydney.

We also want to showcase the talents of some brilliant young artists who know Greek either from their family background or through study, but have never had the chance to perform in a Greek musical drama.

The Master Builder is an ideal vehicle to achieve these goals.
Kazantzakis' simple story is timeless and open to many allegorical interpretations. Kalomiris' brilliant music heightens the inherent drama. Our production of The Master Builder will be accessible and attractive to all Australians regardless of background.

The Director

Constantine Koukias (adaptor, designer, director) is the co-founder and Artistic Director of IHOS Music Theatre & Opera. Prior to Tesla - Lightning in His Hand, IHOS has produced five other large scale operas composed and directed by Koukias: Days and Nights with Christ; To Traverse Water; Mikrovion; Small Life 36 Images in a Phantom Flux of Life, and The Divine Kiss (which have been variously performed in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Hobart Festivals), as well as Pulp, an industrial opera (a community arts project for the 60th anniversary of the Australian Paper Mill in Burnie, Tasmania).

In 1993 Koukias was commissioned by the Sydney Opera House Trust in association with REM Theatre to compose Icon, a large scale music theatre piece for the 20th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House. In 1995 he composed and directed the critically acclaimed production of Medea for the State Theatre of South Australia. In 1997 his Incantation II for soprano and digital delay won the International Valentino Bucchi Vocal Prize in Rome.

More recently Constantine wrote and designed Rapture: a Sonic Taxi Installation, performed in Hobart in May 1999 and The Divine Kiss (second staging) in September 1999. In 2000 he wrote and directed Spirits of the Hoist, a chamber opera, and the community opera Sea Chant for the "10 Days on the Island Festival" in Tasmania.

Constantine has designed many works for performing arts companies nationally, including the critically acclaimed Odyssey, which has toured extensively overseas. His new music work Pentekostarion was performed at the Melbourne Federation Festival in 2001.

In 2002 IHOS presented a public workshop performance of Koukias' work in progress Schwa, The Neutral Vowel. To mark the 30 years of diplomatic ties with China, Within a Prayer at Lamplighting was commissioned by the China National Symphony Orchestra Australian Tour.

Koukias' new large scale opera, Tesla - Lightning in His Hand, was first performed at 10 Days on the Island 2003. He recently completed Heterophony for soprano & data projection for the Wataboshi Festival, November 2003 & Seven Veils for piano & data projection. In 2004 A Thousand Doors, a Thousand Windows for soprano & video projection was performed at the Festival of Sydney.


Key Performers

Pamela Karantonis (soprano) studied voice at Elder Conservatorium in Adelaide and was a soprano chorister in the State Opera of South Australia. She is currently studying voice under Reginald Byers, while freelancing professionally as a singer.
She has received various awards, including the Adelaide Achievers Award from the University of Adelaide and the German Lieder Prize, and she was a finalist in the Jack Groves Memorial Aria at the Adelaide Eisteddfod. She has performed as a solo recitalist for the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust, the National Trust of Australia and the Adelaide Fringe Festival, and has worked as a dramaturge and soprano soloist in the Australian Festival for Young People. She recently featured on China Central Television, singing in Mandarin at the Sydney Opera House.

On 29 September 2002, with Costa Latsos, Pamela performed an extract from Kalomiris' The Master Builder in "Sympraxis", a concert at Sydney Recital Hall which formed part of the Cultural Olympiad funded by the Greek government.

Pamela has recently completed a Ph.D. thesis in theatre studies. She plans to present a paper on the Master Builder production at a congress of the International Federation of Theatre Researchers.

Costa Latsos (tenor) is a tenor currently studying under the tutelage of Reginald Byers. Since 1995 he has been involved in many prestigious musical events. He has played the role of the Italian tenor in Italian American Reconciliation at the Belvoir Street Theatre, and that of Tadzio in Death in Venice (after Thomas Mann), directed by Bogdan Koca for Sydney Art Theatre. In September 2002, with Pamela Karantonis, he sang an extract from Kalomiris' The Master Builder in the "Sympraxis" concert at Sydney Recital Hall.

In March 2003 Costa made his operatic debut with Opera South in the title role of The Tales of Hoffmann under the direction of Christa Leahmann. After a successful season with the company he has been invited for the 2004 season to perform Rodolfo in La Bohème. Also in 2003, Costa received the Ronald Dowd Award and was a quarter-finalist in the McDonalds Operatic Aria Competition.

Annette Tesoriero (mezzo soprano) has created and performed in a wide range of musical and theatrical activities and is probably best known for her innovative work in new form music theatre. She was worked extensively in opera, and in 1995 with Nigel Kellaway she founded The opera Project inc., an organisation dedicated to reassessing opera and its accoutrements.
Annette has a long association with Greek music, having studied Modern Greek initially in a course taught by Alfred Vincent at Sydney University. She has performed Greek songs from various genres in concerts organised by the Hellenic Arts Association directed by Vangelis Papageorgiou.


Other Key Participants

Alfred Vincent (co-producer, dramaturge and consultant) taught Modern Greek studies at the University of Sydney for 25 years until his retirement in 1998. Since then he has taught in a postgraduate course in Theatre Studies at Athens University, and has twice been a visiting professor at the University of Crete. In 2002 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by that university. He holds honorary positions at the Universities of Sydney and New South Wales.

Alfred's interest in theatre goes back to his Ph.D. research, which involved a critical edition and study of an early modern Greek comedy; his edition, published in 1980, has been used in several productions. He has participated in and/or organised numerous events relating to Greek culture, often including musical items.
In 2002 he suggested to Pamela Karantonis and Costa Latsos the idea of singing an extract from Kalomiris' Master Builder, which they did in two performances, with keyboard accompaniment. The idea for the adaptation and production project grew out of this.
Alfred is at present researching on operatic adaptations of Kazantzakis' works.

Derek Sanders (pianist) is music master at Knox Grammar School, Sydney. He has completed several years of university courses in Modern Greek language and culture, with a special interest in Kazantzakis, and has a long-standing interest in Greek music, going back to 1980 when he directed and performed in Theodorakis' Eighteen Short Songs of the Bitter Fatherland in Sydney University's Great Hall. In the "Sympraxis" concert at the Sydney Recital Hall on 29 September 2002 Derek performed a piano suite by Skalkottas.

Christine Kanellakis (production co-ordinator and choreographer) commenced formal tuition in dance at the age of four, with training in classical and later in Greek dance. At the age of 11 she joined the Mary Nassibian Folk Dancers Society. Within a year she was selected to join the Society's professional group, and performed frequently with them. At 15 she started teaching for the Society and subsequently co-choreographed and co-produced its annual concerts at the Seymour Centre.

In 1991 Christine left the Mary Nassibian Society to focus on her legal studies - although while studying she found time to participate as choreographer and dancer in three Sydney University Law Reviews. After several years of practising law, she returned to the arts in 1998, co-producing, choreographing and performing in Flesh and Germ, written by Sophia Ralli-Catharios. In 1999 she played Pamina in G. F. Messner's multimedia performance of Queen of the Night's Revenge, based on Goethe's The Magic Flute: Part Two. She is now practising law part-time, to focus on the arts.