Christoforos Stampoglis

I think the deeper role of art has always been to awaken the spirituality of man, and this will certainly lead him to more profound thoughts about his ethics, his attitude towards humanity, his fellow human beings, the planet, honesty or dishonor, that is, towards anything that may be against his fellow human being, even if it is in his interest. Christofoρος Stampoglis

" Christofoρος Stampoglis, with his deep voice, has the rare gift of feeling what he sings with every part of his body. He possesses theatricality, grace, awareness, and a voice of great precision that comes from far away."  Nikos Vatopoulos

Christofoρος Stampoglis is one of the most distinguished lyric tenors of his generation. He possesses a thorough musical and technical ability, as well as a passion that allows him to uniquely interpret the characters he embodies.

Born in Athens, he began his singing studies at the Athens Conservatory with Kiki Morfoniou (1981).In 1983, he won the 'Maria Callas' scholarship and continued his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (1984-1988). In 1989, he furthered his studies in New York with Armen Boyajian.

He also studied with Kostas Paschalis and Dimitris Kavrakos. He made his debut in London in 1987, performing the lead role in Mozart's opera "The Marriage of Figaro." Two years later, he debuted at the National Opera of Greece, playing Leporello in Mozart's "Don Giovanni."

Additionally, he sang the lead roles in the premieres of works such as "The Connoisseur and His Copies," "The Siege of Corinth," and "Attila."

From 2002 to 2007, he served as a permanent member of the German Opera on the Rhine. He has performed the most representative roles of his repertoire, collaborated with significant artists, and appeared in some of the world's largest opera houses.

In Greece, he has collaborated multiple times with the State Orchestra of Athens, the Symphony Orchestra of ERT, and the State Orchestra of Thessaloniki. His repertoire exceeds 100 roles, and he has a rich discography.

Giota Eftaxia: Dear Mr. Stampoglis, I welcome you to Radio Technis

Christophoros Stamboglis: Thank you for the invitation. I am very pleased to be with you.

G.E.: A combination of factors guides and weaves a person’s life in many ways. What factors led you to become professionally involved in lyrical singing?

CΗ.S.: Look, the answer to this question is somewhat metaphysical. I visited the Greek National Opera for the first time at the age of 10 when my grandmother took me by the hand and took me to a performance of The Barber of Seville with Nicolae Herlea in the lead role. From the moment I entered that theatre, my enthusiasm and the deep feeling that I belonged there were truly incomparable. I use the term metaphysical because it is very difficult to logically explain how a 10-year-old child could feel a sense of belonging. This realisation only entered the realm of consciousness much later, when the mind was able to interpret certain parts of the soul. Of course, I must not fail to mention that my grandfather, after whom I am named, was an opera lover who sang himself, but not professionally. His younger brother and his son were the first double bass and the first cello respectively in the orchestra of the Greek National Opera. So, there is already an important musical tradition from my mother’s side that has reached us.

G.E.: You studied in Greece, specifically at the Athens Conservatory, with Kiki Morfoniou and continued your studies abroad at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and in New York. How do you remember these years of studying and living abroad?

CΗ.S.: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about Kiki Morfoniou. Kiki Morfoniou was not only my first teacher but also the person who embraced me with great love and confidence in my voice from the very beginning. She never stopped advising and observing me, even during my first steps, when she saw something she did not like. I owe Kiki Morfoniou not only my first encounter with what we call "training a soloist in opera, but above all, an embrace of great love that she gave to all her students, as she used to call us. The years abroad, on the other hand, were very difficult for me. The beginning of my studies coincided with the death of my father and I found myself in London and later in New York without a clear understanding of what was going on in my life. Fortunately, my pursuit of vocal studies, which remained the great passion of my life, was a path that supported my balance. However, I cannot speak of carefree and easy years. Fortunately, what we call "youth" always comes and compensates for difficulties.

G.E.: Let's travel back to 1987, the year you made your debut in London, in the role of Figaro in the opera The Marriage of Figaro. Studies, rehearsals, anxiety, impatience and... the curtain opens. What feelings overwhelmed you at that moment, seeing the audience in front of you and playing the lead role?

CΗ.S.: I think two factors often determine the debut of such a young artist. I would remind you that I was only 24 years old when I made my debut and unfortunately, I felt that I was already late. I believe that what characterized that evening was certainly anxiety but also the enthusiasm that largely covered the weaknesses of this debutant young bass soloist.

G.E.: Do you think the stage is another world? Does the artist create his own universe and invite each spectator to get to know it?

CΗ.S.: The theatre gives us precisely this tremendous opportunity to become someone else for a few hours, to see what life would be like if we were someone else and perhaps it sometimes gives us the chance to escape from our own unbearable selves. On the other hand, our duty as artists is to shape the world created by the composer and taken over by the director and to invite the audience to share this experience by asking them to absorb what we managed to convey.

G.E.: In 1989, you made your debut at the Greek National Opera in the role of Leporello in the opera Don Giovanni. It is a role that has distinguished you in major opera houses. In the work, Leporello, who is aware of the immoral and indecent behaviour of his master, Don Giovanni, dreams of the moment when he will be freed from him. How possible is it for us to be freed from all those who hold us captive?

CH.S.: In 1989, I had the opportunity to make my debut at the Greek National Opera, which I consider my home. It was an opportunity given to me by the great Kostas Paschalis, where I sang alongside him and next to his famous Don Giovanni. The touching moment of that evening was that on my first Leperello in the Greek National Opera, our great baritone sang his last Don Juan from a series of tremendous successes in this role in the world's major theaters.
To answer your question, the decision to free ourselves from those who hold us captive is not always simple, nor without cost. However, it is a decision we must find the courage to make at some point. And if we lack that courage, there is no shame in seeking help. It is our obligation as fellow human beings to assist someone in need of that help, so they can take the significant step forward.

G.E.: Apart from Greece, you have excelled in many opera theatres abroad. How challenging is an international career today?

CH.S.: This is a difficult question. I must admit that today an international career is much easier than it was 40 years ago. However, that doesn't mean it is easy overall. I believe that in an international career, the artist's value and stature play a role, but the right timing, the right people, and the combination of these factors also play a crucial role.

G.E.: Opera is considered a spiritual descendant of ancient Greek theatre, inspired by and inspiring the people and democracy. Could the same be said for opera?

CH.S.: Well, we can't say exactly the same, but I must emphasize that opera has always been a political spectacle. Composers have always found the opportunity to make political comments through their works, whether through parables, analogies, or correlations that became apparent to the audience. However, I don't believe that opera has contributed to the understanding of life and democracy as ancient drama did. I think the most significant aspect of opera is that, at least in Italy, it became a popular spectacle with great music, bringing the masses to the theatres. This allowed composers to convey messages whenever they wished.

G.E.: From the roles you have performed in your career so far, is there one that has particularly captivated you?

CH.S.: It's very peculiar, but I believe all my colleagues would agree that every role, once we take it in our hands and dedicate ourselves to it, becomes something we love deeply. However, it is natural and logical that some roles stand out in our journey, mainly because we either identified with the protagonist or spoke very deeply to our souls. It won't sound strange to say that the role that marked my life was that of Philip II of Spain from Giuseppe Verdi's opera Don Carlo. However, I also loved the role you mentioned earlier, which I sang over 100 times – the humble servant of Don Giovanni, Leporello.

G.E.: Today's era is, I would say, more challenging than previous ones because humanity, ethics, and values seem to have been lost. There is a "confusion" of ideas and goals. Can art protect modern humans from this "flattening"?

CH.S.: I never think that art dealt with the defense of ethics. I believe that art has always been the great challenger of everything we call values, ethics, or legality within quotation marks. I think the deeper role of art has always been to awaken the spirituality of man, and this will certainly lead him to more profound thoughts about his ethics, his attitude towards humanity, his fellow human beings, the planet, honesty or dishonor, that is, towards anything that may be against his fellow human being, even if it is in his interest.

G.E.: "Radio Art" revolves around music and poetry. What is poetry for you?

CH.S.: Poetry can be nothing but the music of speech. It is speech organized in such a way and with such aesthetics that it becomes almost a musical composition.

G.E.: Let me borrow a verse from the poet Kiki Dimoula: We all have within us another life that bothers, demands, complains, did not live.... Would you like to be the protagonist of another life or another role?

CH.S.: To tell you the truth, no. I wouldn't want to have lived another life; perhaps what I would like, though, is to have lived this life better. But such an opportunity will not come again. Even if we return to another life, it will be something else; it will never be what Christophoros Stamboglis of Periklis and Sophia lived and lives.

G.E.: Mr. Stampoglis, we will conclude this wonderful conversation with a sentence or verse that you have kept as a talisman and would like to share with the readers.

CH.S.: There are some verses by Palamas that honestly were written with my core and have stayed with me since the day the excellent philologist Mr. Spanos recited them at school. Perhaps they stayed with me because they always had to remind me of something about what would follow in my life, even if I didn't know it then. I will recite them from memory, hoping to be faithful to the composition of the great Greek poet:

As many mountains as you may climb
from their peaks, you will see other peaks,
higher, another shape, unblemished.
And when you reach the highest peak,
then you will understand that you are like the first,
under all the stars.

G.E.: Thank you very much for the beautiful dialogue we had, as well as for your significant contribution to our culture. I sincerely wish you every success!

CH.S.: Thank you as well for the conversation. I sincerely wish you continued success in your work.