Excited, happy and proud to be the music director for such a wonderful project. This is a spontaneous response from the main musician Zois Tsocanu to our question about her feelings about going to the opera.”Brigadier” his Manolis Kalomiris which is presented tonight at the Olympia Municipal Theatre.

We find her on the phone the day before the first rehearsal with the show’s singers. Musical tragedy in two parts and interlude (in concert form) based on the play of the same name Nikos Kazantzakisbeing one of the most characteristic examples of Kalomiris writing.

“Master Master” was introduced in 1916 and is filled with strong symbolism on a political, cultural and ideological level. But how modern can it be and what messages does it convey? “It is relevant and reflects the era in which it was written, an era with many upheavals and upheavals compared to what is happening today. And it is timeless mainly because of its quality,” Ms. Tsokanow says by phone.

As for Kalomiris, he emphasizes that he had an opinion about his writing. “I am very happy that this offer was made to me and that I had the opportunity to get to know his music,” he says, adding: “In “Protomaster” we see the titanic efforts of Kalomiris to lay the foundations for creation, in addition to the Greek national school , the new Greek musical drama”.

Indeed, this is a big and responsible task, but a world-famous conductor would not call it difficult. “But it is difficult, and there is a lot of information. Kalomiris knew how to handle the orchestra, voice and choir very well. It requires concentration, very good preparation and excellent form from the singers. We are all constantly at the “peak”.

Woman in the foreground

And the “Chief Master” can be played by Konstantinos Klironomos, but here the woman is in the foreground and sacrificed. So, the main character is Smaragda, the mistress played by Maritina Tabakopoulou. In fact, he is the only Kazantzakis figure and character with a name. “So, for me, she becomes a heroine herself and actually confesses her love to the Master. This is the center of the project. From this point of view, and perhaps as I see it, at least through this interpretation, the female presence is very important.”

Classical music and KOTH

The discussion turns to classical music and how the genre is still relevant today. The main musician says that there are two points of view. “One of them is the most optimistic, we say: “Yes, classical music is being updated, it has a new face, the audience is growing, the classical music market is relying on fresh faces.” On the other hand, this is music that still suffers from stereotypes. It has a certain dynamic: it is a space that requires continuous work.”

One of the stops in Ms. Tsokanu’s career was directing the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki, from which she left some time ago. “I was there for almost six years. It was a big circle in which I gave a lot, received a lot, learned a lot.” But it was definitely a difficult position. “Maybe I learned what not to do next time. Such a responsible position. It was a big school.”