Greek Music Express

Today, here at GME, we are continuing our mini-tribute to surrealism, an immensely significant art movement with a far-reaching impact and legacy. Specifically, we will be exploring how a French and a Greek poet were inserted into Greek music with the help of leading composers and songwriters. Our destination:...

Today, here at GME, we are starting a 3-day mini-tribute to representatives of an immensely important movement that shaped the art of the 20th century: Surrealism. Our destination this afternoon? The setting to music of the poetry of Nikos Engonopoulos. Engonopoulos is widely regarded as a pioneer of...

Today, here at GME, we are honouring the memory of an outstanding Italian singer-songwriter who was born on March 4, 1943 and who inspired a number of Greek colleagues of his. This multi-faceted artistic personality excelled in singing and songwriting, played clarinet and keyboards, and solidified his...

Greek Music Express is celebrating Clean Monday with songs that refer to a theme that is directly associated with this special festivity: Kites. The selection is endless, from Mikis Theodorakis' orchestral "Kites" to Diafana Krina’s "Torn Kite". Leading voices such as Anastasia Moutsatsou, Melina A...

“I found myself after the breakup at the station, in my carriage / a life in a suitcase my dead dreams / suddenly there in the crowd a voice so familiar / a voice that becomes a scream as it says my name / and the train started and you again far from me. And I wanted so much to tell you that I love y...

Today, here at GME, we are mourning the loss of a fantastic singer who sadly passed away yesterday at the age of just 65. Manolis Lidakis was born in beautiful Crete, the birthplace of endless music artists. His connection with music started at the age of 12, when he became a member of the Philarmonic...

Today’s tribute to songs about trains takes a more electrified turn with rock songs containing references to rail travel. Key protagonists of Greek rock are present, from Christos Thivaios to Dimitris Poulikakos and from Manolis Famellos to Vassilis Papakonstantinou. Also, rock mega-bands will be a...

Here at GME, we tried to think of the most appropriate way of honouring the souls lost at the Tempi disaster. We could spend hours talking about the inefficiency of the Greek state and the responsibilities of consecutive governments that undermined public services, privatised the Greek state railways...

We, here at GME, love trains. They are by far our favourite means of transportation, having offered us countless moments of departing, arriving, contemplating and a real sense of travel, especially in Northern Europe, in Belgium, Sweden, Wales and elsewhere. It is no coincidence that the name of our...

Today, we are concluding our Christmas-themed week here on GME with a wonderful fairytale that two brothers and renowned singers-songwriters wrote for the kids of all ages. Our destination: The Unsmiling City and the Goblins (or Elves), by Haris and Panos Katsimihas: ‘Once upon a time, there was a c...

This week here at GME is dedicated to the celebration of Christmas and its message. It is a message of world peace, solidarity, care and justice. Today, we will be initiated into the festive mood generated by Greek jazzman Dimitris Kalantzis in a dedicated Christmas jazz album, Santa’s Secret Dance, w...

On Wednesday, Christmas Day, we are celebrating the sound of the oud, this beautiful instrument that becomes a demand for tolerance, mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence in the hands of virtuoso Ara Dinkjian and his creations included in the album Peace on Earth. Our list for the day will include...

On Tuesday, Christmas Eve, we will be singing traditional carols from all corners of Greece, from Kefalonia to Kos and from Epirus to Ikaria, with the Giannis Tsiamoulis Children's Choir and with other choral groups. Παραδοσιακά Κάλαντα Χριστουγέννων Την Τρίτη, παραμονή Χριστουγέννων, λέμε παραδοσια...

GME is welcoming the festive season with the explosive presence of Stavros Xarhakos as orchestra conductor in two important musical moments associated with this period of the year: Ariel Ramirez's Misa Criolla with Giorgos Dalaras, and the Christmas Concert with the Youth Orchestra of the Thessaloniki...

Today, we will be exploring the legacy of an original and sophisticated lyricist who wrote some of the finest modern Greek ballads. Isaak Sousis, who sadly passed away on November 4, entered the recording landscape in 1996 and ended up signing the lyrics of more than 120 songs. His main collaboration...

Today, we will be remembering two robust and expressive folk voices who added their own signatures to the fascinating story of popular, laiko song. Voula Gika, the ‘Queen of backing vocals’, recorded thousands of songs where she accompanied the greatest Greek singers of the 1950s and 1960s. And Cos...

Today, we will be appreciating the massive career of an American musical performer, producer, arranger, and composer. Quincy Jones, who passed away on November 3 at the age of 91, contributed greatly to all forms of popular music. Also, he helped produce landmark albums of two important Greek artists:...

As we are gradually heading towards the end of 2024, here at GME we are remembering some key artists who sadly passed away this year. Today, we will be celebrating the superb songs and music written for films and TV series directed by Manousos Manousakis, who died on November 20 at the age of 74. His...