Influential
Greek
composer
Mikis
Theodorakis
died
at
the
age
of
96
at
the
hospital,
the
Greek
Ministry
of
Culture
confirmed
on
September
2.
Many
people
associate
the
composer's
name
with
the
famous
soundtrack
from
the
three-time
Oscar-winning
film
Zorba
the
Greek
(1964).
The
music
made
Theodorakis
famous
all
over
the
world,
and
the
movie
went
on
to
become
a
classic.
For
non-Greeks,
the
"Sirtaki," a
dance
that
appears
in
the
film,
became
synonymous
with
Greek
folk
dancing
-
although
the
choreography
was
invented
for
the
film.
Theodorakis
composed
a
wide
body
of
work,
including
over
a
thousand
songs,
most
of
them
based
on
Greek
poems,
that
have
become
a
part
of
the
country's
cultural
heritage.
His
simple,
emotional
folk
songs
rooted
in
Greek
texts
and
tradition
made
him
a
symbolic
figure
in
left-wing
circles.
Theodorakis
also
wrote
a
number
of
symphonies,
operas,
chamber
pieces
and
ballet
and
film
music.
Resistance
Fighter
And
Cultural
Revolutionary
Born
on
July
29,
1925,
on
the
island
of
Chios
in
the
Aegean
Sea,
Mikis
Theodorakis
composed
his
first
songs
at
age
13
and
gave
his
first
concert
at
17.
Gripped
by
classical
music,
he
dreamed
of
a
career
as
a
musician
and
took
courses
at
the
Athens
Conservatory.
Fate
had
different
plans
for
him
however.
During
World
War
II,
Theodorakis
fought
Nazi
German
troops
occupying
Greece.
During
the
Greek
Civil
War
(1946
to
1949),
he
joined
the
leftist
popular
front.
Repeatedly
arrested
for
being
an
opponent
of
the
Communist
regime,
Theodorakis
endured
brutal
torture,
including
being
buried
alive.
Upon
his
release
from
the
horrific
camp
on
the
prison
island
of
Makronisos,
Theodorakis
was
physically
broken,
but
his
love
for
music
was
undiminished.
Finishing
his
studies
in
Athens,
he
continued
studies
in
Paris
and
completed
them
with
honors.
Theodorakis's
classical
compositions
soon
brought
success
and
awards,
but
over
time
he
increasingly
focused
on
Greek
folk
music,
inspiring
a
cultural
revolution
in
his
homeland.
He
set
socially
critical
texts
written
by
poet
Yannis
Ristos
to
music,
writing
for
the
humble
bouzouki,
a
traditional
Greek
plucked
stringed
instrument.
Internationally
Successful,
Outlawed
At
Home
Theodorakis' breakthrough
on
the
international
stage
came
with
the
soundtrack
for
the
Hollywood
film
epic
Zorba
the
Greek
and
the
Holocaust
song
cycle
Mauthausen,
sung
in
1965
by
the
then
16-year-old
Maria
Farandouri,
a
famous
Greek
singer
and
political
activist.
As
his
music
inspired
the
Greeks
to
search
for
their
own
modern
cultural
identity,
the
composer
continued
his
political
activism
as
a
representative
in
the
Greek
parliament.
When
the
leftist
representative
Grigoris
Lambrakis,
whom
Theodorakis
revered,
was
assassinated,
the
composer
wrote
the
soundtrack
for
the
political
thriller
Z
about
the
founding
of
the
Greek
military
dictatorship.
It
was
a
musical
monument
to
his
idol,
and
once
again,
the
soundtrack
was
strongly
influenced
by
Greek
folk
music.
On
April
21,
1967,
the
military
junta
came
to
power,
and
Theodorakis
saw
himself
forced
to
go
underground.
As
founder
of
the
Patriotic
Front,
he
was
once
again
arrested,
tortured
and
sent
to
a
prison
camp.
An
international
solidarity
movement,
made
up
of
renowned
artists
such
as
the
composers
Dmitri
Shostakovich
and
Leonard
Bernstein,
the
playwright
Arthur
Miller
and
the
singer
Harry
Belafonte,
managed
to
bring
about
his
release.
In
1970,
Thedorakis
was
banished
and
sent
into
exile
in
France.
His
music
had
been
outlawed
in
Greece
from
June
1967,
and
anyone
listening
to
it
had
to
expect
harsh
consequences.
That,
however,
did
not
stop
the
rebellious
Greek
musician
from
traveling
the
world
and
performing
over
a
thousand
concerts.
During
his
shows,
he
spoke
out
against
dictatorships
of
every
kind
and
gathered
support
for
the
resistance
against
the
military
dictatorship
in
his
own
country.
While
on
tour,
Theodorakis
was
received
by
politicians
such
as
Gamal
Abdel
Nasser
from
Egypt
and
Palestinian
leader
Yasser
Arafat.
The
later
French
President
Francois
Mitterand
and
German
Chancellor
Willy
Brandt
also
offered
him
their
friendship.In
exile
in
France,
he
composed
extensive
song
cycles
and
his
famous
musical
setting
of
the
revolutionary
"Canto
General" of
Chilean
poet
Pablo
Neruda.
Hero
Or
Traitor?
Following
the
breakdown
of
the
military
dictatorship
in
1974,
Mikis
Theodorakis
returned
to
his
home
country
and
was
celebrated
as
a
hero
and
an
icon
of
freedom.
Before
long,
however,
intrigues
were
again
determining
political
life
in
Greece.
The
composer
shifted
back
and
forth
from
resignation
to
commitment
and
from
parliamentary
activity
to
voluntary
retreat.
In
1986,
he
joined
the
Turkish
composer
Zülfü
Livaneli
in
founding
the
Committee
for
Turkish-Greek
Friendship,
aimed
at
ending
the
centuries-old
hostilities
between
the
neighboring
countries.
Both
came
under
heavy
fire
for
their
attempts
to
create
peace
-
and
both
were
labeled
"traitors."
But
that
did
not
stop
them.
From
1990
to
1992,
Theodorakis
served
as
a
state
minister
in
a
parliament
consisting
of
a
grand
coalition
of
conservatives,
socialists
and
leftists.
He
remained
committed
to
reconciling
Greeks
and
Turks
while
focusing
on
educational
and
cultural
reforms.
Sharp-Tongued
Artist
Following
his
retreat
from
state
politics,
Mikis
Theodorakis
became
music
director
of
the
Greek
Radio
Symphony
Orchestra
and
Chorus
in
1993,
where
he
often
conducted
his
own
works.
Following
the
antique
model,
he
returned
to
writing
lyrical
tragedies
including
the
ancient
figures
of
Medea,
Electra
and
Antigone.
He
left
the
concert
stage
in
1999
but
continued
composing.
Still
a
sharp-tongued
commentator
on
politics,
he
vehemently
attacked
the
austerity
measures
of
the
Greek
government
under
pressure
from
the
EU.
"We
are
living
through
a
national
tragedy,"
he
exclaimed
in
2012.
"The
Greeks
have
needlessly
been
maneuvered
towards
the
abyss."
He
also
repeatedly
sharply
criticized
the
US
government
and
Israel's
treatment
of
the
Palestinians.
Accusations
Of
Antisemitism
In
2003,
his
criticism
of
Israeli
policy
culminated
in
the
statement:
"Today
we
can
say
that
this
little
country
is
the
root
of
evil,
not
of
good.
That
means
that
too
much
self-righteousness
and
stubbornness
are
evil."
In
a
2011
television
interview,
he
dubbed
himself
an
"antisemite
and
anti-Zionist"
and
declared
that
"American
Jews"
stood
behind
the
world
economic
crisis,
which
had
also
reached
Greece.
These
statements
were
met
with
horrified
reactions
in
Israel
and
beyond.
In
an
apology,
Theodorakis
explained
his
position
in
a
letter
to
the
Central
Jewish
Council
in
Greece.
What
he
had
meant
by
"root
of
evil"
had
been
the
"unfortunate
policies"
of
the
State
of
Israel
and
its
ally,
the
US.
Having
described
himself
as
"antisemitic"
had
been
a
mistake
made
in
the
course
of
the
very
long
and
fatiguing
interview.
"I
love
the
Jewish
people,
I
love
the
Jews!"
said
Theodorakis.
Always
Taking
A
Stand
In
an
open
letter
in
2013,
a
visibly
aged
Theodorakis
announced
his
"complete
retreat
as
a
fighting
citizen."
After
70
years
of
struggle,
he
said,
he
felt
that
his
views
had
not
been
accepted
by
the
people
or
the
political
leadership.
But
completely
refraining
from
taking
a
stand
would
seem
not
to
have
been
an
option.
Although
he
no
longer
made
public
appearances,
Theodorakis
commented
on
events
in
Greece
on
his
home
page
-
for
instance,
during
the
coronavirus
crisis
when
the
government
in
Athens
declined
to
give
financial
support
to
unemployed
musicians.
Towards
the
end
of
his
life,
Mikis
Theodorakis
seemed
increasingly
bitter,
but
his
musical
heritage
remains
unquestioned.
He
is
seen
as
one
of
the
most
influential
musicians
of
the
20th
century.
This
article
was
translated
from
German.
Source:
DW
News