Interview with Eleni Petassi

Description:

In this interview given to Eleni Petassi of Το Βήμα newspaper and published on 13 December 1981, Yorgos Sicilianos discusses his opera The Fire Op. 42, premiering on 20 December 1981 at the National Opera alongside Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, explores the human condition in a world self-destructing through its own rational and creative capabilities. The opera, written specifically for the National Opera in 1978, had its performance delayed until now. Central to The Fire are the contrasts between logic and absurdity, light and darkness, birth and death, beginning and end, and creation and destruction, all symbolised by the element of fire, which represents both destruction and purification.

Musically, Sicilianos employs harmonic ambiguity through the frequent use of cluster chords and a logically structured rhythm that recurs throughout the piece as rhythmic leitmotifs. The opera’s poetic text, rich with symbolic and philosophical meaning, posed challenges in adapting it to a modern music drama libretto. Sicilianos aimed to make the text visually engaging by using projected images, special lighting, choreographed movements, and ballet. This approach intends to enhance the audience’s understanding of the sung dialogue, creating a multifaceted and surprising theatrical experience.