The Lady in the Moonlight

Description:

Opera

The Lady in the Moonlight

Yorgos Sicilianos

In collaboration with the Department of Music Studies of the Ionian University.

The Lady in the the Moonlight (Η Κυρία του Σεληνόφωτος, 1977) by Yorgos Sicilianos is a dramatic monologue for mezzo-soprano, narrator, clarinet, viola, and guitar. It stands as one of the composer’s most significant achievements, technically and expressively, reflecting his status as a key figure in Greece’s post-war musical avant-garde. The work commemorates the centenary of Sicilianos’s birth and is performed as part of the Greek National Opera’s 3rd Online Festival.

Themes and Structure:

The piece is based on Yannis Ritsos’s poem The Moonlight Sonata from The Fourth Dimension. It portrays the confession of an elderly woman, dressed in black, speaking to a silent, indifferent young man in a moonlit room. Themes explored include:

•The passage of time and decay.

•Unfulfilled desire.

•Narcissistic fantasies and the lingering impact of memories.

The monologue is described as a “useless confession,” filled with longing and regret, culminating in the poignant plea: “Let me come with you…”

Musical and Aesthetic Qualities:

Sicilianos transforms Ritsos’s text into a meticulous blend of:

•Melodic lyricism and recitative styles.

•Serial music techniques, merged with a profound and melancholic romanticism.

•Subtle allusions to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, providing a haunting yet theatrical resonance.

Production Details:

Directed by Kostas Athousakis with a script by Kalliopi Bredologou, the production combines:

•Naturalistic observation and surrealistic imagery.

•A decaying seaside villa as the setting, bathed in moonlight.

•Six dancers who embody the woman’s memories and unfulfilled desires, creating a visual representation of her introspective journey.

The production invites viewers to interpret her fragmented memories, desires, and fantasies through the lens of poetic imagination.

This work serves as a poignant meditation on ageing, longing, and the enduring power of unspoken emotions, presented as a striking blend of music, narrative, and visual storytelling.