Greek Music Express

The setting to music of Ritsos’ Blackened Clay Pot by Christos Leontis is definitely one of the greatest moments in the history of Greek song. This is an album of immense emotional power, through which the political-humanist messages of the poet are revealed in their fullest, universal form. Blackened...

From Mikis Theodorakis’ rich and long engagement with Ritsos’ poetry, we choose to focus on Epitafios, a poem that Ritsos wrote in 1936 and that Theodorakis set to music in 1960. Today, we will be appreciating a 2000 live recording of this historic work, orchestrated and curated by maestro Stavros...

The encounter of Thanos Mikroutsikos with Ritsos led to the Cantata for Makronisos, a collection of songs and avant-garde sounds that remains as pioneering as it was when it was released in 1976. In the poetry of Ritsos, composer Mikroutsikos found a fertile ground for experimentation, including an...

A big part of the Greek song can be categorised as ‘protest song’, i.e. as a type of song informed by political critique and vision. From Giannis Markopoulos to Nikolas Asimos and from Thanos Mikroutsikos to the Katsimiha brothers, countless composers and creators connected their work with the...

Panos Falaras is the lyricist of endless hits performed by some of the country’s greatest folk voices, from Marinella to Mary Marandi and from Antonis Vardis to Vassilis Karras. At the same time, Falaras has had a lesser known political and rock side that was revealed at the start of his career. Πάνος...

The ambassador of the art of Filippos Grapsas is, without a doubt, singer Dimitris Mitropanos. His robust voice and the melodic mastery of composers Marios Tokas and Giannis Spanos turned the lyrics of Grapsas into the raw material of songs that truly defined the folk sound of the 1990s. Brace yourselves...

Sarantis Alivizatos is the lyricist of the acute erotic feeling. This intensity of desire is depicted in a direct manner, linguistically, without too many abstract meanings and concepts. His anthems of erotic attraction have been performed by sensual voices such as Constantina and Themis Adamantidis. Σαράντης...

Sotia Tsotou became known primarily as the one who wrote the grand hits of singer-songwriter Costas Hatzis, but her career includes many other important songs and collaborations. Her art stands out for her intelligent use of words, social criticism and the depiction of profound philosophical meanings....

This week, we explore the contribution of five lyricists to popular, folk song, also known as ‘laiko’ in Greek. Lefteris Hapsiadis, who sadly passed away on October 2 at the age of 69, belongs to a broader generation of talented lyricists who wrote songs using a simple and solid language replete...

The heroic struggle of the Greek army against the fascist invaders was soon followed by the Axis Occupation of the country and the Resistance to Nazi forces. We remember the fallen heroes of the 1940-1944 period through a mix of songs about the Greco-Italian war and the anti-fascist struggle of the...

Several Greek films were produced about the Greco-Italian war – in fact, this was a kind of fashion in the early 1970s under the dictatorship. Today’s track list draws primarily from two films, Lieutenant Natasha, and The teacher with the Golden Hair, with soundtracks by Costas Kapnisis and Nikos...

A panorama of rebetiko songs written during the Greco-Italian war and the Nazi Occupation, the harshest period of modern Greek history. We are listening to a dedicated collection of covers of such ‘protest’ songs performed by George Dalaras, as well as to originals by the grand masters of the genre,...

On 1 May 1944, 200 Greek communists were executed by the Nazi Occupation authorities at the firing range of the Kaisariani suburb. This criminal act was a reprisal for the killing of a German general by Greek Resistance forces. In 2017, renowned director Pantelis Voulgaris offered a moving account of...

This week, we celebrate the “Ohi Day”, i.e. the rejection by Greek dictator Metaxas of the ultimatum made by Italian dictator Mussolini, the start of Greece’s participation in World War II, the counterattack against the invading Italian forces and the resistance during the Nazi occupation. Today,...

Folk, popular or “laiko” song – this is the voice of the people, the struggle of those hit hard by destiny, the cry of the bouzouki and of robust voices such as Lakis Halkias, Giorgos Tzortzis and Stamatis Kokotas. Wine here is a kind of medicine to soothe the pain inflicted by love and by the...

The theme of wine is present not only in the traditional and folk repertoire, bur also in modern songwriting, rock and contemporary renditions of tradition. From mega-stars like Eleonora Zouganeli and Costis Maravegias to pioneering bands like Social Waste and Villagers of Ioannina City and established...

The term ‘rebetiko’ refers to the urban popular music of the Greek people, especially those of the poorest strata, that flourished up until the 1950s and was later rediscovered through the so-called rebetiko revival. This synthesis of European, traditional Greek, Byzantine and Ottoman music...

The light song is a genre that flourished in Greece in the first half of the 20th century, influenced by French and Latin American songs and characterised by intense theatricality and romanticism. Even though these songs are now considered outdated, they constitute an important part of Greek music...