Greek National Opera Attica. The new 28,000 m² (301,000 sq. ft.) auditorium is an architectural jewel, designed to enhance the opera experience for patrons and artists alike. During the late 1880s, the first Greek Opera was presented at the old Theatre in Athens. Between 1888 and 1890 the Greek Opera toured regions with then substantial Greek diaspora populations such as Egypt, Turkey and Romania, presenting operas such as Mozart’s "The Abduction from the Seraglio, "Donizetti’s "La favorite" and "Lucia di Lammermoor" and Bellini’s "La sonnambula." After 1924, following its tour of the United States and establishment as a significant cultural institution at home
Il re Il re Il re ("The king") is a novella or opera in one act and three scenes by composer Umberto Giordano to an Italian libretto by Giovacchino Forzano. The opera premiered at La Scala in Milan on 12 January 1929. Unusual for a 20th-century opera, "Il re" was written specifically as a vehicle for Toti Dal Monte, a coloratura soprano of the old school. Dal Monte performed the work a number of times during her career but after her retirement, the opera quickly fell into obscurity. In December 1949, Arturo Toscanini, who had conducted the world premiere of the opera,