The highly successful opera production for the whole family The Magic Pillows is coming back to GNO TV from 20 March to 20 November 2025

Evgenios Trivizas’ famous,  widely translated, and award-winning work, originally a novel and a play, has been adapted into an opera for the first time by the author himself, with music composed by George Dousis.

A captivating production that breathes life into the dreams of both children and grown-ups.

The production was made possible by a grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) [www.SNF.org] to enhance the Greek National Opera’s artistic outreach.

Evgenios Trivizas’ poignant and profound fairy tale delivers an optimistic message about the power of resistance and hope through the eyes of the students at a struggling school and their inspiring teacher as they confront the greedy ruler Arpatilaos. The story also emphasizes their determination to reclaim their lost dreams. The writer states about the work: “I wish that everyone who watches The Magic Pillows will not easily forget the words of the teacher in the struggling school’s frozen classroom: “No matter what they take from you / there’s always something that remains / something nobody can touch / something nobody can take away from you! / Hope, an oasis, consolation / a treasure in your misfortune / that’s what your dreams will be to you!”

George Dousis’ melodious and emotionally rich music travels through the striking palaces, the humble schools, and the dark emerald mines of Uranoupolis, bringing a cast of hilarious characters to life. The composer remarks: “I wandered through the palace gardens and the secluded alleys of Uranoupolis’ imaginary world with great pleasure. I experienced a journey filled with images, colours, and scents from an exotic yet real place. The Magic Pillows is an enduringly topical work. Its structure and the language of Evgenios Trivizas guided me through an almost automatic compositional process with absolute safety.”

Natasha Triantafylli’s stage direction, marked by its rhythm, humour, and emotion, aims to reveal the poetic essence of this redemptive and inexhaustible classical fairy tale.

The production was filmed in the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the GNO at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center on 18 and 19 December 2021. It is available with the option to select English or Greek subtitles.