Tributes

This week, here at GME, we have been pinpointing the position of poetry in modern Greek song through the work of contemporary composers and today we are remembering an existentialist poet who was born on this day, October 30, 1896. Kostas Karyotakis is a key figure not only in Greek poetry, but also...

Today, we turn to a set of relatively recent releases that stand at the crossroads of two worlds, poetry and music. Composers such as George Kagialikos, Alexandros Gourgoulios and Giorgos Komboyannis demonstrate that Greek art song has not only a glorious past but also a fascinating present, with explorations...

A bomb exploded at the very foundations of the capitalist system on this day, 29 October 1929. The total collapse of the American financial system plunged the entire planet into an economic nightmare, with the working and productive classes enduring the harshest conditions. The Great Crash of 1929,...

Today, October 28, we celebrate the “No” or “Ohi” Day, i.e. the rejection of Mussolini’s ultimatum and the entry of Greece to World War II. And our track list shall reflect this idea of saying “no”, because resistance is not a historical artefact, but an everyday practice that begins from our daily lif...

This episode is dedicated to Babis Tsertos — the singer who, as a student, experienced firsthand the “revival” of rebetiko music. He learned to play the bouzouki and, in 1982, when the first rebetadika (rebetiko clubs) began to appear, he started performing professionally in them. Produced and p...

This episode of “Heliotrope”, presented by Giannis Papoutsakis on 27 October, was dedicated to Nikos Gatsos — the poet who brought poetry into song, enriching Greek music with his verse. Katerina Xydaki read some of her favorite lines by the poet who made our songs more beautiful.

Throughout the week that starts today, we shall be celebrating the position of poetry in modern Greek song through the work of contemporary composers and songwriters. Domenica rock band sets to music Miltos Sahtouris and modern poets, songwriter Haris Katsimihas sheds light on the significance of the...

Σήμερα, κάνουμε κι εμείς μια στάση στη μεγάλη επέτειο του ελληνικού τραγουδιού, στα 100 χρόνια παρουσίας του Μάνου Χατζιδάκι, ακούγοντας τα τραγούδια του με μια κλασική κιθάρα. Την κιθάρα των Κώστα Γρηγορέα, Έλενας Παπανδρέου, Μάρως Ραζή, Βαγγέλη Μπουντούνη, Παναγιώτη Μάργαρη, Νότη Μαυρουδή, Στέλλας Κυπρ...

Dedicated to the historic liberation of Thessaloniki from Ottoman rule on 26 October 1912, this episode of “Journeys Basking in Greek Light” with Giannis Papoutsakis aired on 26 October.

Στις 25 Οκτωβρίου, πολύ φτωχότεροι από το φευγιό του Σαββόπουλου, γιορτάζουμε τα γενέθλια ενός εκλεκτού συναδέλφου του. Με το προσωπικό του ύφος, τις πρωτότυπες μελωδίες και τον ερμηνευτικό του δυναμισμό, ο Θανάσης Γκαϊφύλλιας προσέφερε πολλά στην ανάδυση και παγίωση του μοντέλου του τραγουδοποιού. Στο μετα...

This episode of “Irregular Notes” was dedicated to the singer Kaity Chomata, whose name became inseparably linked with that of Giannis Spanos. When Spanos returned from France in search of voices to express a new musical movement he called the “New Wave” (Neo Kyma), he chose Kaity Chomata — elevating...

“The melodist is the hierophant of the Gods, the representative of the people, who takes care, as a practitioner, to evoke and express the sensitivity of the time, and not to flatter the habits of times and of the masses. For him, a song is a sacred text that contains the scriptures, the commandments a...

It’s the regular Friday segment of the program “Time in Greece” — “Back Then…” — and today we turn the calendar pages back to Friday, 24 October 1975. We open together the newspaper Apogevmatini and read what was making headlines that day: – Dozens of women employees fainting at the OTE offices —...

This episode of “Irregular Notes” was dedicated to the great Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis, widely regarded as the first, in postwar Greece, to bridge classical music with the popular musical tradition through both his theoretical writings and his compositions. Produced and presented by Ste...

A century with his presence, his sensitivity, his command of melody, his active sense of citizenship, his definitive role in the renewal of Greek music and the organisation of Greek cultural life. A century with, above all, his songs. We could spend a month or two playing our favourite Manos Hadjidakis’ s...

A Maniot with roots in Constantinople, Alexandros Koumoundouros stands as one of the most important figures of stability in the reconstruction of the modern Greek state. He served as Prime Minister ten times (!) — a record that still stands today. His family’s story, his personal journey, the pol...

The great Greek singer-songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos has died. Le grand auteur-compositeur grec Dionysis Savvopoulos est décédé. Der große griechische Singer-Songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos ist gestorben. È morto il grande cantautore greco Dionysis Savvopoulos. De grote Griekse zanger-songwriter Dion...