We are saddened and moved by the death of one of the greatest personalities of modern Greek history, Mikis Theodorakis, to whom we now bid farewell. Renowned as a composer, a conductor, a fighter, Theodorakis was one of the pillars of contemporary Greek identity from the Metapolitefsi period onwards (1974-), one of the leading, most prolific and influential representatives of Greece both inside the country and around the world.
An iconic figure of Greek Music, whose visionary, vast oeuvre encompasses symphonic Music and Opera, compositions written specifically for Theatre and Cinema, and even popular oratorios and entechno (art) music, Mikis Theodorakis showcased Greek language in a unique way, setting poems by celebrated Greek and international poets to music – namely Angelos Sikelianos, Andreas Kalvos, Odysseas Elytis, Yiannis Ritsos, George Seferis, Manolis Anagnostakis, Tassos Leivaditis, Michalis Katsaros, Iakovos Kambanellis, as well as Federico García Lorca, Pablo Neruda, Brendan Beha; poems which, thanks to his music, became songs in everybody’s lips, a world heritage. His name became synonymous with the fight against the military junta in Greece and the revolutionary movements in Europe and North America from the 1960s onwards, as his songs passionately conveyed the travails and struggles of the Greek people for freedom and self-determination. The epic, revolutionary power of his music lies precisely in this crucial, vital interconnection between rhythm, lyrics, and national ordeal(s).
According to Theodorakis, “my greatest ambition is to faithfully serve poetry, especially modern Greek poetry – to the extent that, whenever one listens to one of my songs, one won’t be able to imagine this music accompanying a different text, or a poem set in a different music”. Theodorakis fulfilled this ambition to the highest possible degree. If poetry, coming alive through the words of distinctive poets who have written in Greek (or have been translated into Greek) indeed constitutes our national narrative, when one listens to Mikis’ music, one is not able to enjoy it independently of the history and self-definition of modern-day Greece.
Three days of national mourning have been declared to honour Mikis Theodorakis’ passing.
During these three days, a moment of silence will be observed in every Athens Epidaurus Festival performance. The 2022 Athens Epidaurus Festival artistic programme will also include a special tribute to his work.
Mikis Theodorakis is inextricably bound with the history of both the Athens Festival and the Epidaurus Festival. Since the late 1970s, he was regularly active at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, either in his capacity as conductor or with specific works of his being performed by major orchestras under the baton of other conductors, including the following works:
1977 Works by Mikis Theodorakis
Performed the Athens State Orchestra
Conducted by Mikis Theodorakis
1980 Works by Mikis Theodorakis
Performed by the Swedish Orchestra & Collegium Musicum Choir
Conducted by Sam Claeson
1983 Works by Mikis Theodorakis
Performed by the Athens State Orchestra
Conducted by Dmitri Kitayenko
1986 Works by Theodorakis, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich
Performed the Athens State Orchestra
Conducted by Odysseas Dimitriadis
1988 Mikis Theodorakis concert
Performed by the Athens Symphony Orchestra & Small Popular Orchestra
Conducted by Mikis Theodorakis
1990 Zorba
Performed by the Ballet Théâtre de l’ Est & the Greek Radio Symphony Orchestra
Choreographed by Léonide Massine / Conducted by Mikis Theodorakis, Lukas Karytinos
1991 Canto General
Conducted by Mikis Theodorakis, Lukas Karytinos
1991 Works by Liadov, Theodorakis, Rimsky-Korsakov
Performed by the Tchaikovsky Orchestra
Conducted by Leonid Nikolayev
1991 Works by Theodorakis, Shostakovich
Performed by the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Alkis Baltas
1993 Medea by Mikis Theodorakis
Performed by the ERT National Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by Lukas Karytinos / Directed by Spyros A. Evangelatos
1995 A tribute to Mikis Theodorakis’ 70th birthday, as part of a greater tribute to older and contemporary film composers
Performed by Metropole Orkest
Conducted by Dick Bakker / Soloists: George Dalaras, Theodoros Kerkezos
1996 Electra by Mikis Theodorakis
Performed by the Sofia National Opera Orchestra
Conducted by Elias Voudouris
1999 Works by Mikis Theodorakis
Performed by the Athens State Orchestra
Conducted by Mikis Theodorakis, Lukas Karytinos
2000 Canto General
Performed by the Saint Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra and Choir
Conducted by Mikis Theodorakis, Alexander Tchernushenko
2001 Works by Mikis Theodorakis
Performed by the “Mikis Theodorakis” Popular Orchestra
Conducted by Mikis Theodorakis
2002 Concert featuring works by Mikis Theodorakis
Performed by the “Mikis Theodorakis” Popular Orchestra
2003 Tribute to Yiannis Ritsos
Performed by the “Mikis Theodorakis” Popular Orchestra
2005 A tribute to Mikis Theodorakis’ 80th birthday
Love songs
Performed by the ERT National Symphony Orchestra and Chorus & the “Mikis Theodorakis” Popular Orchestra
Conducted by Andreas Pylarinos / Directed by Mikis Theodorakis
2005 A tribute to Mikis Theodorakis’ 80th birthday
Canto General – The Ballet
Performed by the Greek National Opera Ballet
Conducted by Elias Voudouris
Libretto – Directing: Vassilis Nikolaidis
2005
A tribute to Mikis Theodorakis’ 80th birthday
Performed by the Hungarian National Ballet & the Hungarian State Opera Ballet
Zorba
Choreographed by Gábor Keveházi
2009 Mikis Theodorakis concert – Tribute to Yiannis Ritsos
Performed by the “Mikis Theodorakis” Popular Orchestra
2012 Canto General by Mikis Theodorakis
Performed by Maria Farantouri
2015 A tribute to Mikis Theodorakis’ 90th birthday
Symphony No. 1 & Axion Esti
Performed by the Athens State Orchestra
Conducted by Lukas Karytinos
In addition to the above, Mikis Theodorakis also composed music for ancient Greek tragedies staged at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, primarily National Theatre of Greece productions (The Phoenician Women, dir. Alexis Minotis, 1960, 1965, 1978, 1988; Ajax and The Trojan Women, dir. Takis Mouzenidis, 1961 and 1965 respectively; The Trojan Women, dir. Alexis Solomos, 1975; The Suppliants, dir. Spyros A. Evangelatos, 1977; Antigone, dir. Minos Volanakis, 1995) and Amfi-Theatro productions, directed by Spyros A. Evangelatos (Eumenides, 1986; The Libation Bearers, 1988; Oresteia, 1990; Prometheus Bound, 1992; Medea, 2001).
Numerous leading theatre companies and organisations also collaborated with Mikis Theodorakis in performances held at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus. The (far from comprehensive) list includes: the Greek Art Theatre (The Knights, dir. Giorgos Lazanis, 1979); the Proskinio Theatre (Hecuba, dir. Alexis Solomos, 1987); the Aliki Vougiouklaki Company (Antigone, dir. Minos Volanakis, 1990); the Sychrono Theatro Athinas (Oedipus Rex, dir. Nikos Charalambous, 1996); the Cosmopolis Centre of European and International Cultural Exchanges (The Phoenician Women, dir. Giannis Karachisaridis, 1997); a collaboration between the Greek National Opera and the Megaron – The Athens Culture Hall (Lysistrata, lyrical comedy, based on Aristophanes’ play, with libretto by the composer, dir. Giorgos Michailidis, 2002, as part of the Cultural Olympiad 2001-2004), the Cyprus Theatre Organisation (Antigone, dir. Stavros Tsakiris, 2005), to name but a few.
