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Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis is a greek composer and lyricist who has contributed to greek music over 100 works. He was born on july 29 1925 in Chios. -
His childhood years
He was raised with Greek folk music and was influenced by Byzantine liturgy as a child he had already talked about becoming a composer.His fascination with music began in early childhood he taught himself to write his first songs without access to musical instruments. He took his first music lessons in Patras and Pyrgos where he was a childhood friend of George Pavlopoulos -
His first concert
In Tripoli, Peloponnese he gave his first concert at the age of seventeen. -
His trip to Athens
He went to Athens in 1943, and became a member of a Reserve Unit of ELAS -
Civil war
Mikis Theodorakis was arrested in 9/10/1947 and then sent into exile on the island of Icaria where he tried to escape. Then he was deported to the island of Makronisos, where he was tortured and twice buried alive. During this time he wrote '' Ελεγείο και θρήνος στην μνήμη του Βασίλη Ζάννο'' in the memory of his friend Βασίλη Ζάννο. -
His attempt of recovery
In 1949 he returns back to Xania where he recovers -
His degree and his attempt of suicide
In 1950 he returns to Athens where he graduates from the Conservatory with a degree in harmony. However at the same year he tries to commit suicide due to the constant challenges he faced.But he escaped the danger in 1951 when he was permantly fired by the army -
Studies in Paris
In 1954 he travelled with his young wife Myrto Altinoglou to Paris where he entered the Conservatory and studied musical analysis under Olivier Messiaen and conducting under Eugene Bigot.His time in Paris, 1954–1959, was his second period of musical writing. -
Award
in 1957 he was awarded with the first prize of the Moscow Festival for his work '' Suite No1'' for piano and orchestra -
His return to Greece
In 1960, Theodorakis returned to Greece and his roots in genuine Greek music with his song cycle Epitaphios he started the third period of his composing and contributed to a cultural revolution in his country. He attempted to give back to Greek music a dignity which in his perception it had lost. He developed his concept of "metasymphonic music" -
Greatest works
To tragoudi tou nekrou aderfou -
Greatest works
Omorfi Poli -
Greatest works
Zorba The Greek -
During the dictatorship
On 1 June, the Colonels published "Army decree No 13", which banned playing, and even listening to his music. Theodorakis himself was arrested on 21 August and jailed for five months. Following his release end of January 1968, he was banished in August to Zatouna with his wife Myrto and their two children, Margarita and Yorgos -
Theodorakis' imprisonment
An international solidarity movement demanded to get Theodorakis freed. On request of the French politician Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, Theodorakis was allowed to go into exile to Paris on 13 April 1970. Theodorakis arrived at Le Bourget Airport where he was immediately hospitalized because he suffered from lung tuberculosis. Myrto Theodorakis, Mikis's wife and two children joined him a week later in France. -
Greatest works
Prodomenos Laos -
Greatest works
Iphigenia -
Greatest works
To the children killed in war -
Greatest works
Medea
