Following on from its first commission –an installation by Nikos Navridis– The Artist on the Composer programme run by the Greek National Opera in partnership with the NEON Organisation for Culture and Development is back, bringing the gifted and internationally renowned Greek film director Yorgos Lanthimos to the Stavros Niarchos Hall.

The Artist on the Composer programme is connecting pioneering contemporary artists and filmmakers / producers with orchestral music performed live. Through works that spring from the programme’s new commissions, each artist responds to, and enters into dialogue with pieces by classical composers, free from every standard operatic convention, trope and storyline, in the hope of reaching audiences who may never have connected with opera before.

Yorgos Lanthimos enthusiastically accepted the invitation extended by GNO Artistic Director Giorgos Koumendakis and NEON Managing Director Elina Kountouri –the programme’s co-curators– and went on to create a short film titled Bleat, to be screened at the Stavros Niarchos Hall accompanied by live music ensembles.

Bleat was shot on the Greek island of Tinos in February 2020. In addition to directing the film, Yorgos Lanthimos also wrote and produced. It stars Oscar-winning American actor Emma Stone and acclaimed French film actor Damien Bonnard, and features production design by Anna Georgiadou, costumes by Angelos Mentis, cinematography by Thodoros Mihopoulos, and editing by Yorgos Mavropsaridis.

The film’s soundtrack, which consists of works by J. S. Bach / Knut Nystedt, and Toshio Hosokawa, is to be performed live inside the Stavros Niarchos Hall by music ensembles during screenings.