ergon ensemble
contemporary music, athens

Giorgos Koumendakis’ work The Day Will Come... borrows verses from Homer’s two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey and follows the form of the original Renaissance opera. Written in 1986 following a commission from the Municipality of Heraklion Crete, the opera was then performed in Heraklion, Oslo, and Berlin.

The story transports us back to the last days of Troy, portraying the enigmatic figure of Helen in a male world of war, death and impending destruction.

The key episode comes from Rhapsody 4 from the Iliad: Menelaus and Helen recount the scene to Telemachus to extol his father’s genius: When the Trojan Horse was brought into Troy only Helen realized the Achaeans’ artifice.

Perhaps guided by some spirit, she begins to hover around the wooden horse and calls out to the Achaeans concealed inside by impersonating the voices of their wives. Almost tricked into giving themselves away, they are saved by Odysseus’ calm.

Zoe Tsokanou conducts Ergon Ensemble in this new staging of the work. The work is directed by Ektoras Lygizos, renowned for his idiosyncratic creations for theater and cinema.