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A few months after the turkish invasion of Cyprus - I was a small kid then - I can vividly recall a concert by Mikis, which took place in Cyprus and whose aim was to help the people that lost their homes and many other things tangible and intangble. I remember "that tall man" whose hands looked to me like wings and which, along with his music, covered us with care and stregth and made us feel that there was still hope to move on - it was a concert that will live inside me for ever.

Since then I have grown up with Mikis' music, the music of Greece, becoming part of me and making me a better person over the years. Currently, I have a small son who is 3 years old and it is the highlight of my day when I come tired home from work and he asks for me to play Mikis' songs, "to periyiali to krifo", "i margarita i margaro", "i mpalanta tou Antrikou" to name a few. This gives me the strength and hope to carry on in this world, which is currently characterised by a number of "strange" and very dispiriting happenings.

Last Tuesday (11/10/2005), 30 years on, I attended another concert, organised in Cyprus to honour Mikis' 80th birthday. I will always remember the moment Mikis got on the stage and sang 4 songs, with his voice - so it sounded - but more than that with his sole ...

Thank you very much Mikis ... with your life you have showed us how to "kratisa ti zoi mou" "kato apo ton astron to panigiri"...

"My ideological arsenal can be summarised in three words: FREEDOM, PEACE, CULTURE", Mikis Theodorakis, Chios, 9 Sept 2005.
He's really great that Theodorakis.
Hafedh, Metline, Tunisia (URL : http://groups.msn.com/metline)

Dear ... ,

I a'm looking for the poem " Solitude " of 'Memory of stone ' by Michalis Bourboulis,but in Greek. Can someone mail me please the text in Greek ?

Yours truly

Jenny

Jenny, I can email it to you, please send me your email address at ctp@columbus.rr.com
Takis

Dear Friends. If you know, I want to inform me please, about a song title that is written by Sir Zulfu Livaneli. This song speaks about the friendship between Sir Mikis Theodorakis and Sir Zulfu Livaneli. I have listened this song once, 6 years ago but I don’t remember the turkish title. In english the title is: ‘WHO ARE WE?’, in greek and in greeklish the title is: ‘POIOI EIMASTE EMEIS?’ ’ This song includes the words EPHESUS, CRETA, OLYMPUS and at the end Sir Zulfu Livaneli says: TWO SAME PEOPLE IN THE TWO DIFFERENTS SIDES OF AEGEAN SEA.Could you inform me please about the Turkish title of this Song, if you know? Thank you in advance, yours friend, Kostas.

...

Let me add my belated wishes to Mikis for his birthday, na ta ekatostiseis, Miki! I had the extreme good fortune to be in Athens in July, and attended the wonderful concert at the Roman Agora, where Mikis' last song cycle -- Erimia -- was presented by Maria Farantouri & Manolis Mitsias, with the State Orchestra of Greek Music (KOEM) directed by Stavros Xarhakos. What a wonderful set of love songs Mikis has given us with this work! At the same concert, Maria and Petros Pandis also performed the song cycle Ballades in the new arrangement by Xarhakos. I made a nice digital recording of this concert, which I will make available to any friend of Mikis' music who is interested. Simply email me at ctp@columbus.rr.com with your address and I will send it to you. (Two days later, I also attended the concert given by Maria Farantouri and the newly-formed Cretan Symphony Orchestra, in Piraeus, at the Veakeio theater. Maria's voice was at its peak, reminiscent of the voice she sang with 30 years ago. A wonderful concert, which I also recorded, but have not yet transferred to cd-r.) Once again, my love and thanks to Mikis! And my deep regards to Guy Wagner for his labor of love here. Takis Papaleonardos (nephew of "Dafni" -- Kostas Hanos -- Mikis knows)

I´ve to say, that Mikis is the only musician, who makes me weep for joy. Everytime when I hear "Tis Dikaiosinis Ilie Noite" or "Otan Sfiggoun to Xeri" with Grigoris Bithikotsis and "To Gelasto Paidi" with Maria Farandouri tears running down my cheeks. This is unusually for a punkrocker like me. But Mikis music combined with the poetic lyrics especially from Yiannis Ritsos and Odysseas Ellitis express the Life and desire of all Greeks in the whole world. During the hard times in the dictatorship 67-74 his music were a great support for all they have to live in exile. Sadly, but at the same time encouraging, it comes from the bottom of the heart. Congratulations and best wishes to your 80th birthday.

I want to say congratulation to the Great Mikis Theodorakis after he received the UNESCO price of 2005.
Hafedh, a Tunisian from Metline (Tunisian Mytilene, see http://groups.msn.com/metline).

Without the genius of Mikis Theodorakis the world would be a colder place indeed! It is truly sad--and for us who through his work share his great passion for the human drama really hard to accept--that there may yet be some on our fair but troubled Earth who do not know his name. Thanks to his marvelous sensitivity to our mortal condition, those who know his music have been allowed a glimpse of what it can be like to be truly human. For those who love Greece he is one more example of how the greatest among the Greeks have been able to put forth the notion of what it means to be universally human by offering the world the example of what it means to be truly Greek!

Je salue ta mémoire, Manolis! Toi, que Théodorakis m'a fait connaître à travers ses hymnes de l'Arcadie VIII.
"Eimastan oli masi..." tu disais dans un de tes plus beaux poèmes, O Charis. Maitenant, nous ne sommes plus tous ensemble, mais ta voix et celle de Mikis seront toujours dans ma tête et dans mon couer pour y faire rennaître des milliers de petits incendies.
Merci à vous deux!

Help Save the Movie "State of Siege"


Despite all the garbage coming from Hollywood and elsewhere that is turned into DVD these days for the benefit of the entertainment industry, the United States has decided it is not going to allow the marketing of one movie and is effectively disappearing that movie.

The movie is "State of Siege" (originally in French, titled "Etat de Siege"), directed by Costa Gavras and starring Yves Montand and Renato Salvatori.

The movie details the crimes of the US government in Latin America and clearly shows the viewers whose interests the CIA and local ruling elites serve when they arrest, torture, and imprison activists and destroy popular movements for democracy.

The movie was produced in 1972 while the Popular Unity government of Salvador Allende was still in power in Chile.

Please help revive and distribute this movie in any way you can, as the movie is more relevant than ever today.


For Peace & Social Justice,
Iranian-American Community (IACUS)
http://members.aol.com/iaczine/

> Help Save the Movie "State of Siege"
>
>
> Despite all the garbage coming from Hollywood and elsewhere
> that is turned into DVD these days for the benefit of the
> entertainment industry, the United States has decided it is
> not going to allow the marketing of one movie and is
> effectively disappearing that movie.
>
> The movie is "State of Siege" (originally in French, titled
> "Etat de Siege"), directed by Costa Gavras and starring Yves
> Montand and Renato Salvatori.
>
> The movie details the crimes of the US government in Latin
> America and clearly shows the viewers whose interests the
> CIA and local ruling elites serve when they arrest,
> torture, and imprison activists and destroy popular
> movements for democracy.
>
> The movie was produced in 1972 while the Popular Unity
> government of Salvador Allende was still in power in
> Chile.
>
> Please help revive and distribute this movie in any way you
> can, as the movie is more relevant than ever today.
>
>
> For Peace & Social Justice,
> Iranian-American Community (IACUS)
> http://members.aol.com/iaczine/
>
>
> I am so thrilled to see this comment. I completely agree with the writer on the subject. I saw this movie in the States in 1972 or 73. It was dubbed in English. however, as the writer says, it is disappeared from US market. I have tracked it all over the world, there are still VHS version avaiable in France. A canadian source had VHS with English sub and there are two DVD format sources, one in greece and one in Brazil. any one inteested, drop me a note and I send you their email address.

Great movie to watch, even after 24 years.

abk
>
>
>

> > Help Save the Movie "State of Siege"
> >
> >
> > Despite all the garbage coming from Hollywood and
> elsewhere
> > that is turned into DVD these days for the benefit of
> the
> > entertainment industry, the United States has decided it
> is
> > not going to allow the marketing of one movie and is
> > effectively disappearing that movie.
> >
> > The movie is "State of Siege" (originally in French,
> titled
> > "Etat de Siege"), directed by Costa Gavras and starring
> Yves
> > Montand and Renato Salvatori.
> >
> > The movie details the crimes of the US government in
> Latin
> > America and clearly shows the viewers whose interests
> the
> > CIA and local ruling elites serve when they arrest,
> > torture, and imprison activists and destroy popular
> > movements for democracy.
> >
> > The movie was produced in 1972 while the Popular Unity
> > government of Salvador Allende was still in power in
> > Chile.
> >
> > Please help revive and distribute this movie in any way
> you
> > can, as the movie is more relevant than ever today.
> >
> >
> > For Peace & Social Justice,
> > Iranian-American Community (IACUS)
> > http://members.aol.com/iaczine/
> >
> >
> > I am so thrilled to see this comment. I completely agree
> with the writer on the subject. I saw this movie in the
> States in 1972 or 73. It was dubbed in English. however, as
> the writer says, it is disappeared from US market. I have
> tracked it all over the world, there are still VHS version
> avaiable in France. A canadian source had VHS with English
> sub and there are two DVD format sources, one in greece and
> one in Brazil. any one inteested, drop me a note and I send
> you their email address.
>
> Great movie to watch, even after 24 years.
>
> abk
> >
> >
> > do you still have the email address I want to have the DVD thanks in advance
>

Der deutsche Dokumentarfilm "Die Zeit ist für die Lieder und gegen die Panzer" aus dem Jahr 1974 zeigt das erste Konzert von Mikis Theodorakis nach seiner Rückkehr aus dem Exil in die Heimat. Die Bedeutung seiner Musik für Griechenland aber auch für die europäische Demokratie läßt sich u.a. genau an diesem triumphalen Konzert ermessen. Leider gibt es davon weder auf Schallplatte, CD oder DVD Aufnahmen im Handel oder antiquarisch zu erwerben. Oder habe ich nicht richtig recherchiert? Wer kann helfen?
Danke

Hallo,

Deine Recherche ist ok-leider.
Der WDR hat das mal gesendet, und das ist lange her-noch mehr leider. Damals, als das gesendet wurde, hat eine Freundin das auf VHS mitgeschnitten, aber nur einen (grossen) Teil mitbekommen, weil die Eltern was anderes sehen wollten. Shit happens. Diesen Teil der Aufnahme hüte ich wie meinen Augapfel, klar. Manchmal, aber wirklich nur manchmal, und für VIEL Geld, und wenn die Urheberrechte ok sind, brennt der WDR das auf Nachfrage - also das wäre eine Möglichkeit. Eine andere wäre, mir mir Kontakt aufzunehmen, um zumindest den Teil, den ich habe, zu bekommen. Wie auch immer ;-) , aber kopieren kann ICH das nicht. Die Platte dazu habe ich auch - ich denke, die gibts auch nicht mehr. Melde Dich mal, ccmw@ccmw.de. Grüsse und - mir würde jetzt das Herz klopfen - viel Gesundheit. Christian
BTW: Als das Konzert war, war ich in Athen - und verpasst!!!

> Der deutsche Dokumentarfilm "Die Zeit ist für die Lieder und
> gegen die Panzer" aus dem Jahr 1974 zeigt das erste Konzert
> von Mikis Theodorakis nach seiner Rückkehr aus dem Exil in
> die Heimat. Die Bedeutung seiner Musik für Griechenland
> aber auch für die europäische Demokratie läßt sich u.a.
> genau an diesem triumphalen Konzert ermessen. Leider gibt
> es davon weder auf Schallplatte, CD oder DVD Aufnahmen im
> Handel oder antiquarisch zu erwerben. Oder habe ich nicht
> richtig recherchiert? Wer kann helfen?
> Danke

Hallo

Wenn es auch kein dvd von dem Sendung des WDR gibt so kann mein das Konzert auch sehen auf ein griechischer dvd mit Name Tragoudia tis Fotias, Lieder des Feuers von Nikos Koundourous. Neben andere griechische Musiker gibt es ein Ausschnitt von das Konzert von Mikis. Sehr interessant. Die dvd werd oft angeboten auf Ebay aber is auch im Webladen zu bekommen, zb Musical ( http://www.musical.gr/index.php?gui_language=2 )

Guten Erfolg.

Pieter Hendriks


> > Der deutsche Dokumentarfilm "Die Zeit ist für die Lieder
> und
> > gegen die Panzer" aus dem Jahr 1974 zeigt das erste
> Konzert
> > von Mikis Theodorakis nach seiner Rückkehr aus dem Exil
> in
> > die Heimat. Die Bedeutung seiner Musik für Griechenland
> > aber auch für die europäische Demokratie läßt sich u.a.
> > genau an diesem triumphalen Konzert ermessen. Leider
> gibt
> > es davon weder auf Schallplatte, CD oder DVD Aufnahmen
> im
> > Handel oder antiquarisch zu erwerben. Oder habe ich
> nicht
> > richtig recherchiert? Wer kann helfen?
> > Danke
>

Je lisais avec émotion ce que disait en grec un ami chypriote. C'est vrai que pour moi Théodorakis a été un modèle : celui de la révolte contreun peuple opprimé, celui qui a contribué à donner à la langue grecque, si belle, une place de choix dans la musique. Comment ne pas associer Grigoris Bithikotsis, récemment décédé. A eux deux, avec aussi Maria Farandouri, ils ont contribué largement à me faire comprendre, moi jeune philologue classique, que la langue grecque et que la civilisation grecque sont éternelles. Merci à vous aussi, M. Wagner. Nous n'habitons pas loin l'un de l'autre et je vous félicite chaleureusement.

J'ai écouté la première symphonie de Theodorakys et, honnêtement.je ne suis pas très convaincu .Je peux me tromper de toute façon mais
je crois que l' auteur ait renoncé à son inspiration lyrique authentique pour faire le
"moderne" à tout prix. J'ai eu une impression meilleure avec l' Adagio pour les victimes de la Bosnia.

Cher Monsieur,
Concernant la Première Symphonie de Mikis Theodorakis, il faut dire ceci: Elle a été écrite entre 1948 et 1953 et elle constitue le témoignage le plus intense de ce que le compositeur a vécu comme souffrances pendant la Guerre Civile. Cela n'a rien à voir avec "faire du moderne", loin de là. Cela concerne du vécu, dans la chair et dans l'âme.
Auusi ne peut-on pas la comparer avec les oeuvres de la période lyrique de Theodorakis - années 80 et 90 -, dont l'expression symphonique la plus importante est la Septième Symphonie. Ecoutez-la, cela vaut la peine!
Bien à vous
Guy Wagner

Dear comrade Theodorakis:
Was a great pleasure to meet you after the concert in Herodion Theatre in Acropolis and speak a little with you.
I wish you many years more of life.

Cher Mikis

C'est avec un immense plaisir que j'attends le 28 Juillet pour venir celebrer vos 80 ans, en compganie d'une tres bonne amie d'ecole Lizi Behmoaras que vous connaissez tres bien. J'espere vous dire un petit bonjour et serrer la main de ce grand musicien et humaniste que vous etes....
Bien a vous
Fazilet

It is with extreme pleasure that I have the opportunity to write to Mr. Theodorakis how much his music has meant to me throughout the years. You are a genius and your music touches the very depths of the soul. I play your music on my guitar and sing the words of the poets and I feel not only a strong love for Greece, for freedom, but also the very core of the music itself. You've inspired me to compose my own pieces; a style very similar to yours.

I met you one evening, quite late, in front of the Parliament in Athens. I was walking my small griffon, crossing towards the Parliament and you were walking towards me in the direction of the Plaka. We met in the middle of the street and you said Kalispera to me and I answered with a smile and a nod. I finally found my voice in that split second to wish you a good evening, and later cursed myself for not stopping you and asking you to join me for a coffee. This moment took place in 1991. Such a long time ago, but not forgotten; actually it is a moment in time I will never forget.
Thank you for all the beautiful songs that live within every Greek living so far from Greece.
Katerina Ralli

Thank you very much for your "first message", which is so generous and moving.
On behalf of Mikis Theodorakis
Guy Wagner

Tha imoun idiaitera eutixis an to minima auto eftane ston Miki Theodoraki. Onomazomai Stelios Markoulis, apo tin Kypro. Megalosa me ti mousiki tou Miki, ti mousiki tis Elladas. Simera, o gios mou einai 3 xronon kai gia mena i pio omorfi stigmi tis meras einai otan mou zita na akousome to perigiali, ti margarita - margaro, ti mpalanta tou Antrikou ... sigopsithirizei malista tis lexeis. Anamesa se ola ta paraxena kai perierga pou symvainoun gyro mas, auto mou dinei dunami na sinexiso na elpizo gia ena kalitero aurio giati me voitha na katalavo oti i Ellas einai kati poli ma poli megalitero apo mia geografiki epikrateia, einai mia idea, athanati ... Euxaristoume Miki Theodoraki, euxaristoume Grigori Bithikotsi.

Dear Mr Wagner:

Congratulations on your website.

I would like your visitors' attention a small tribute I've paid, in Greek, to Grigoris Bithikotsis at my blog:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?A1DB120EA

And if you have any contact with Mr Theodorakis, it would mean a great deal to me if you could pass on the link to him. His music, especially when sung by Bithikotsis, has always meant a great deal to me.

Dear Thomas,

Many thanks...
I have checked the link and want to congratulate and thank you.
I have transferred the link to Mikis\'s sercretary, Ms Parmenidou.

Kind regards

Guy Wagner

Hello mr. Mikis.
I am Greek and my name is Mikis. I'm a student of Las Positas College in Livermore,CA,USA. But I was born in Uzbekistan in 1983 when you received premium of Lenin and was named by your name. And I very pleased to you because I like my name very much. Thank you.

I am a Greek Ph.D. student in Pennsylvania State University. I listen your songs and your music so as not to be too homesick. I wish you all of the best and your songs will always accompany the Greeks all over the world.

LOVE ALWAYS TO ALL PEOPLE

Je cherche depuis longtemps un livre avec les textes des chansons de Mikis en grec. Le livre s'appelle Ola ta tragoudia, et il est edité en Grèce, mais introuvable en internet et même dans les librairies. Si quelqu'un pouvait m'en touver un exemplaire, je serais ravie.
Je cherche aussi le texte, en grec, du poème de Manolis Anagnostakis O Charis, qui fait partie de l'Arcadie VIII. C'est une chanson qui a marqué ma jeunesse en 1973.
Merci Mikis, d'avoir mis en musique les poèmes les plus beaux de tant de poètes. Merci d'avoir écrit autant de beaux poèmes et de belles musiques. Vos disque ont fait renaitre dans nos yeux, commes dans les yeux des compagons de Charis, des milliers de petits incendies!

>
> Je cherche depuis longtemps un livre avec les textes des
> chansons de Mikis en grec. Le livre s'appelle Ola ta
> tragoudia, et il est edité en Grèce, mais introuvable en
> internet et même dans les librairies. Si quelqu'un pouvait
> m'en touver un exemplaire, je serais ravie.
> Je cherche aussi le texte, en grec, du poème de Manolis
> Anagnostakis O Charis, qui fait partie de l'Arcadie VIII.
> C'est une chanson qui a marqué ma jeunesse en 1973.
> Merci Mikis, d'avoir mis en musique les poèmes les plus
> beaux de tant de poètes. Merci d'avoir écrit autant de
> beaux poèmes et de belles musiques. Vos disque ont fait
> renaitre dans nos yeux, commes dans les yeux des compagons
> de Charis, des milliers de petits incendies!

Il y a 3 livres -en grecque-avec les textes et les chansons de Mikis. Si vous voulez des informations, Je vous en prie de m' ecriver a l' adresse electronique: vulgari@otenet.gr
>

D'abord, monsieur Wagner, milles mercis pour votre travail à faire mieux connaitre monsieur Theodorakis.C'est assez incroyable ce que vous avez pu faire. J'ai réussi ,meme ici au Québec, à me procurer la bio que vous avez écrite.J'ai réussi de meme à mettre la main sur plusieurs enregistrements en allant jusqu'à faire des commandes en Grèce.Le seul point qui me manque c'est que je crois qu'il est fort peu probable qu'on revoit monsieur Theodorakis remonter sur scène, et est ce que madame Farantouri donne encore des spectacles.Existe t-il des enregistrements de spectacles soit vidéo ou DVD.Merci de votre attention,Salutations du Québec

Cher Monsieur,
Merci de vos mots qui m'ont touché. Nous faisons ce travail, parce que l'homme auquel il est dédidé, le mérite. Non, il n'y aura plus de tournées de Mikis Theodorakis; cette belle période est révolue.
Quant à des vidéos et DVD de concerts, il y en a actuellement très peu (Concert à Bilbao, en video, "O erotikos Theodorakis" avex Yiannis Parios, en DVD)
J'ai apprix que pour le 80e anniversaire, une série de DVD va être publiée. Comment les trouver?
Au Canada, il existe sur Internet et en adresse postale: 452 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4K 1P4 Canada: "Greek City Video" (http://www.greekcity.com/) qui a un bon choix de CD, Vidéo, DVD. Travaillant moi-même avec cette compagnie, je puis affirmer qu'elle est très sérieuse et dévouée.
Cordialement à vous
Guy Wagner

Grecque de naissance je suis une grande admiratrice de Mikis Theodorakis, que j'ai eu la chance de recontrer une fois personellement durant une interview que je faisais comme journaliste politique avant les élections.
Je crois posséder la plus grande part des oeuvres de Mikis. Mais je suis déséspérement à la recherche d'une version audio ou video/dvd du concert qu'il a donné au stade de Karaiskaki à son retour en Grèce en 1974. Je sais que l'avais suivi à la télé. Mais est-ce qu'il existe une version préférablement vidéo/DVD que je pourrais acheter.
Serais très heureuse d'une réponse.
Et pour son anniversaire prochain: The best of the best kai na ta ekatostiti!
DR

Chère Madame,
Je m'excuse de ne vous répondre que maintenant, mais nous avons été pleinement occupés avec la réalisation de l'exposition Theodorakis au Centre National de Littérature à Mersch (Luxembourg).
Quant à votre requête concernant le fameux concert au stade de Karaiskaki, le document le plus exhuastif, sans être complet, est "Ta Tragoudia tis Fotias". film de Nikos Kondouros, qui est sorti en Grèce en DVD (NEW STAR). Il y a évidemment aussi le film de Klaus Salge et autres: "Die Zeit ist für die Lieder und gegen die Panzer", mais il n'est pas disponible dans le circuit commercial.
Dans l'espoir que ce renseignement pourrra vous être utile, je vous prie de croire à mes sentiments les meilleurs
Guy Wagner

13 years ago when I was a very young kid I was in the Olympic stadium for the inauguration for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games I had the privilege to see and hear Theodorakis live. He interpretated a very nice song with Agnes Baltsa (Canto Olympico I think). Today, after wacthing the inauguration for the first time in lots of years, and after hearing for the second time that song I discovered It's still in my mind, and I can remember saying for myself while hearing for the first time:oh, its good!

Now that I'm here, I would like to launch a question. After the Canto Olympico finished, it just started a music with some choirs, really beautiful as the sportsmen guided the olympic flame inside the stadium...Is that music from Theodorakis? If so, is there any edited CD to hear it? I'm really interested on it. Thank you, and Thank you Theodorakis

Dear Sir,
The song you watched, sung by Agnes Baltsa was not Canto Olympico, but a special arrangement made by Theodorakis of one of the songs of "Romiossini" and published under the title "Hellénisme". It has, alas, not been published on CD.
Other musics than this song and excerpts of "Canto Olympico" performed in Barcelona were not by Theodorakis.
Kind regards
Guy Wagner

Well, I once had a record I loved (an LP, of course) and I think the title was "Ballads". The two singers were Petros Pandis and Margarita Zorbala. I lost this record. Could anyone help me find a copy of it somewhere? Many, many thanks, anyway.

Dear Sir,
The "Ballads" have been reissued in Greece by MINOS (EMI). There are several e-shops in the Internet who sell the record. Try at http://www.musical.gr
Kind regards
Guy Wagner