Spyridon Samaras

Sonzogno founded the Teatro Lirico Internazionale and chose Samaras' La martire for the theater's opening on 22 September 1894.

The opera had premiered previously that year in Naples and is based on a libretto by Luigi Illica with many naturalistic elements, which gave space to Samaras' musical personality for an equal treatment.

Samaras' works enjoyed wide distribution; his operas were staged in Paris, Monte Carlo, Cologne, Berlin, Vienna, Malta, Bucharest, Constantinople, Smyrna, Alexandria, Cairo, Greece and Italy.

He wrote fifteen stage works, the last three on texts by Paul Milliet; Storia d'amore o La biondinetta (1903), Mademoiselle de Belle-Isle (1905) and Rhea (1908).

He supported himself by composing operettas aiming at satisfying a variety of audiences, rather than continuing in his usual creative vein.

Ryōtarō Azuma, IOC member in Japan and Governor of Tokyo had been sent the score by Jean Ketseas in Greece.

Samaras died, aged 55, in Athens and is interred in the National Cemetery close to the stadium where the 1896 Games took place.

Samáras in young age
Initial page of the Olympic Hymn for the 1896 Summer Olympics .
"The Princess of Sasson" operetta (1915).
Original libretto's cover for Flora mirabilis (1887).
Terrazzo negli appartamenti di Medgè , set design for Medgè act 3 scene 1 (1887).
Ricca sala nel castello d'Orèbro , set design for Flora Mirabilis act 1 scene 1 (1886).