…the experienced [conductor] Vassilis Christopoulos performed a miracle, drawing a transparent and clear, finely carved and well balanced sound from the musicians of the Greek National Opera…"

Yiannis Svolos ecstatic review about GNO’s double bill with Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi in efsyn.gr (in Greek).

"...I've been following the Athens State Orchestra since 1968 and I don't think I've ever heard them play at this level before: as an orchestra of international calibre... Not a single musical bar was meaningless or imperfect..."

Lavish praise from Giorgos Sarigiannis, one of Greece's most respected music and theater critics, about Bruckner's Symphony no. 8 in his blog (in Greek).

”Another reason for the production’s success was the superb playing of the GNO’s orchestra under one of Greece’s top conductors, Vassilis Christopoulos, who is based mostly in Germany and who had also worked wonders here a year ago in Shostakovitch’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk. We heard superbly subtle and nuanced playing that highlighted the rare yet very present lyricism in Berg’s score, while holding nothing back in the explosive crescendo in the climax of the drama.”

Opera Now (Original link seems to have expired)

...behind Wozzeck's success at the Greek National Opera was Vassilis Christopoulos, "who combined glittering detail, rich post-romanticism and translucent textures to hypnotic effect, while always making the music’s savage power rumble below the surface"

according to James Imam at the Financial Times - PDF

"Christopoulos proves to be an attentive singer accompanist and a relaxed yet compelling storyteller [...] this is a victorious Shostakovich as he sings and murders – without a single blind spot".

Read more on Manuel Brug's blog, klassiker.welt.de, about Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District at the Greek National Opera (in German).

...of the evening was Vassilis Christopoulos' conducting, who did an exceptional job and obtained an excellent rendition [of "Elektra"] from an orchestra not accustomed to play such a demanding score. From the first bar of the opera, it was clear that he was in perfect command of the task at hand...".

Luis Gago, El País, about the opening night of the Greek National Opera in their new venue with "Elektra" by Richard Strauss (in Spanish). PDF

Raving critique about "Die Frau ohne Schatten" in Wiesbaden (in German).

Gerhard Hofmann - Der neue Merker - Screenshot

An enthusiastic review of the opening concert of the RheinVokal Festival (in German).

Angela Baumeier - Rhein Zeitung - Screenshot