Ηρακλής Οικονόμου

Held during the peak of summer, August 15 celebrates the assumption of the Virgin Mary– a date that is one of the most important in the Greek Orthodox calendar. So, today, we will be appreciating the cultural significance of this day by continuing our week-long tribute to panigiri, with special r...

Today, we are continuing our week-long tribute to panigiri with festive songs from the islands and from Asia Minor performed by art vocalists. The term art song denotes a genre characterised by poetic verse, complex melodies and sophisticated arrangements. Most of the vocalists that we shall be listening...

Today, we will be appreciating the contribution of violin player, vocalist and composer Nikos Economides, to the rejuvenation and promotion of nisiotiko – island song. In the second part, we will celebrating the magical performances of his muse, Kyriaki Spanou, in some uplifting island tunes. Our f...

This week we will be familiarising ourselves with a type of traditional festival organized during the summer months in the villages of the mainland and the islands, where a given saint is celebrated: Panigiri! The festival does not involve only chanting and praying, but also music, plenty of food and...

Greece has some exceptionally beautiful gorges, scattered in various geographic regions, both on islands and its mainland, offering excitement to canyoning lovers. The gorges’ tall and remote cliffs are home to wildflowers and birds’ nests. They will win you over as you cross them; climb the rocky pat...

Bridges: uniting people and places, changing geographies, wonders of architecture and engineering, with particular historical or aesthetic significance. Rightfully, bridges found their place in Greek songs, denoting not only tradition and memories of the past, but also routes of the present and visions...

There are many beautiful rivers in Greece that cross exquisite gorges or plains. From Aliakmonas to Nestos and from Pinios to Aracthos, these are sites of natural beauty and poetic symbolism. However, while in Greece, make sure to visit not only the rivers of the country but also the beautiful songs...

Greece has many natural and artificial lakes and lagoons. Although lakes in Greece are not famous or touristic, they offer a marvellous natural setting. Surrounded by forests and mountains, they are ideal for hiking and bird watching. Today, we shall be listening to songs about these lakes, created...

Caves are places of natural beauty but also of mystery and exploration. Naturally, it has become the motif of many Greek songs, which we will be enjoying today. Expect to listen to tremendous female voices such as Melina Kana, Lizeta Kalimeri, Eleftheria Arvanitaki and Maria Soultatou. Also, prominent...

Our last batch of songs with references to the Aegean islands and their beauty includes grand voices such as Aleka Kanellidou, Kaiti Homata and Popi Asteriadi, rock and roll legends such as Pashalis and a younger generation of artists such as Katerina Kyrmizi and Vasiliki Karakosta. Leonidas Maridakis...

Virtually throughout the Aegean area, numerous islands large and small emerge from the clear blue waters. And numerous modern songs emerge as well, replete with references to the islands of the Aegean sea: Nena Venetsanou, Areti Ketime, Nikos Androulakis, Nikos Zournis, Tania Tsanaklidou and many more...

The Aegean is a unique insular and cultural system that emerged in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, a place where the European, the Asian and the African human-geographical history and evolution intersect. Naturally, this place has also intersected with Greek song, with the crème-de-la-crème of Greek c...

Our goal, this week, is to document the dominant position of the islands of the Aegean in modern Greek songs. Today’s menu includes rock artists such as Giannis Giokarinis and Leonidas Balafas, art singers-songwriters such as Miltos Pashalidis and Vassilis Kazoulis, renowned composers such as Evanthia R...

This is not a week with island songs, nisiotika, i.e. traditional songs from the Aegean, even though you are warmly invited to explore nisiotika, both in past broadcasts of GME and in other platforms. This is a week with modern Greek songs that contain references to the islands. And indeed, the islands...

Today, we continue our tribute to statues with songs that contain references to them and share a more rock sound or character. Here, the word ‘rock’ is used to denote not one single genre as such, but something unconventional and unexpected, something alternative that goes beyond the frontiers of ...

This week here at GME is dedicated to three core features of Greece and its built environment: churches, castles and statues. Today, we will be listening to songs with references to statues – these unique specimens of both ancient and modern Greek art. Today’s track list contains songs with references to ...

Greece is one of the few countries in the world with so many castles and fortresses. It is estimated that there are more than 1200 on the mainland and the islands. The castles of Greece were often in the centre of modern European history. Today, we are listening to a selection of songs that include...