‘Spyridon Samàras (1861–1917) was the first Greek composer to attain international significance. His operas were performed in major music centres throughout Europe, but his relatively early death during World War I and the subsequent rapid shifts in musical tastes caused his work to fall into obscurity. Over the past four decades, I have pioneered the effort of highlighting and re-evaluating Samaras’s work through performances and the gradual recording of his compositions.

His opera Tigra remained unfinished with only the first act partially completed. In 2009, I orchestrated this act, believing that it can also be performed as a single-act opera. Representing the mature period of Samaras’s career, Tigra also indirectly reflects his creative vision for the evolution of modern Greek music.’

– Byron Fidetzis