Greek Music Express

Today, we are celebrating the collaboration of Tsitsanis with two magnificent female voices: Alexandra and Dimitra Galani. Galani recalls: “My interaction with Tsitsanis was characterised by honesty, respect and kindness above all. He was a very kind man with a special sense of humour, but also a b...

During his long career, Vassilis Tsitsanis collaborated on stage and in the studio with many great interpreters of popular song. However, a special place in Tsitsanis' discography is held by his collaboration with Grigoris Bithikotsis and Stelios Kazantzidis, because they were not just some random singers....

Vassilis Tsitsanis was born on January 18, 1915, and died on January 18, 1984. Thus, this week here at GME is dedicated to this influential figure of Greek music who left a huge footprint on laiko and rebetiko song. Tsitsanis wrote more than 500 songs and is still remembered as an extraordinary composer...

We conclude our week-long tribute by sharing information about the three mountains of Athens, Penteli, Parnitha and Hymettus, and by listening to songs from three albums that contain the mountains in their title: "My Inner Mountain" by Soulis Liakos, "I Want to Go to the Mountains" by Theodore Theodorides,...

Cretan music is an ‘island’ of its own, just like its place of origin. Artists like Costas Mountakis, Nikos Xylouris, Charalambos Garganourakis, Psarantonis and Hainides contributed to the evolution of a genre that is totally distinct from mainstream Greek song, with tonnes of rhythm, energy and the...

The adjective ‘contemporary’ groups together the most diverse set of artists and styles, united only by their flair for innovation, experimentation and improvisation. The melancholy of Kore.Ydro meets the radicalism of Social Waste and the reggae coolness of Locomondo coincides with the blending of ...

Our menu today includes a fascinating array of art-song performers, including Dimitris Zervoudakis and the Three Mountains, Lizeta Kalimeri and the Unconquered Mountains, and Thanasis Moraitis and the Good Mountains. Mountains, in this genre, are locations of mystery and imagination – symbols of nature b...

After spending more or less an entire summer here at GME celebrating the islands and the deep blue sea, it is only fair to dedicate a week to Greece’s mountains and songs about mountains. Today, we are shedding light on the presence of mountains in Greek folk and rebetiko songs. From Michalis Genitsaris t...

The Birds is a comedy by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It has been acclaimed by modern critics as a perfectly realized fantasy remarkable for its mimicry of birds and for the liveliness of its songs. Unlike the author's other early plays, it includes no direct...

Thanos Mikroutsikos, who wrote music for, among others, Assembly women, said in an interview: “Everything in theater needs to be justified. If it is not reasoned, it is just an idea of the mind. When reasoned, any idea can be applied. We are used to performances of the ancient drama by modern directors t...

The close relationship of composer Vassilis Dimitriou with the theater proved extremely fruitful and of timeless value. The composer, who sadly passed away in 2015, had permanent collaborations with a range of theatre companies involved in ancient drama performances, comedies or tragedies. As for Aristophanes,...

Two extremely talented composers, Nikos Kypourgos and Minos Matsas, composed music for Peace, a comedy written and produced by the Greek playwright Aristophanes. The plot concerns the flight to heaven on a dung beetle by Trygaeus. He searches for goddess Peace, discovers that the god of war has buried...

Alternative Aristophanes: Tasos Karakatsanis – Dionysis Savvopoulos This week, we say “happy new year” with a tribute to Aristophanes and to music for his plays. The great comic playwright, also known as the “Father of Comedy”, and his masterpieces have been a constant source of inspiration for almos...

Simon Shaheen dazzles listeners as he deftly leaps from traditional Arab sounds to jazz and Western classical styles. His soaring technique, melodic ingenuity, and unparalleled grace have earned him international acclaim as a virtuoso on the oud and violin. Palestinian oud player and composer, Adel...

Glykeria became the most loved Greek singer in Israel and a major part of Israel's cultural scene in the 1990s. Her special style captured the heart of the Israelis and her songs became all-time classics. She became a "household" name in Israel, an "honorary citizen", and a platinum and gold albums...

The band "Al Mahabba" ("love" in Arabic) was formed in September 2003 with the aim of researching and performing classical Arabic music from the Middle East and the Arabic-speaking countries of Africa. The group's repertoire includes classical songs and instrumental pieces from Syria, Lebanon, Egypt,...

This week is dedicated to GME’s Christmas wish: a ceasefire in Palestine and peace in the Middle East. To this end, we will be appreciating the music of the peoples of the region, as well as its multiple connections with Greek song. Today, we will be listening to Sephardic songs performed by Soly J...

Giokarinis is a Greek rocker with his own very personal style involving rhythmic ballads with witty, playful lyrics. In terms of personal influences, Giokarinis often mentions classical rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, next to the 1950s. “Back then, you had to be really brave to play t...