Classical music
Is there such a thing as Greek classical or art music? This is the question that has long plagued many local experts and artists. Very roughly speaking, the Ottoman period in Greece (between the 15th and 19th centuries) confined the country to Byzantine ecclesiastical music. It is necessary to wait for the creation of the Athens Conservatory in 1871, and especially a man, Manolis Kalomiris (1883-1962), to envisage the establishment of a "Greek national school" in music. In the same spirit as Bartok in Hungary, Kalomiris dreamed of a national music, based on popular songs. Considered the figurehead of 20th-century Greek art music, he left his mark on it through the creation of important institutions (including the National Conservatory) rather than through his compositions (rediscovered after his death). His most direct heir is undoubtedly Nikos Skalkottas (1904-1949). A revered figure, this student of Schoenberg made Kalomiris' dream come true with the 36 Greek Dances, in which he combined local folklore with the musical avant-garde. Internationally, the most prestigious name in music is by far Mikis Theodorakis (1925-2021). Famous author of the music for the film Zorba the Greek, his five operas, four ballets and seven symphonies are less well known. Theodorakis was also the leader of the "Entekhno" movement of the 1950s, which introduced Greek folk melodies and rhythms into orchestral music. Less known, more contemporary, Thanos Mikroutsikos (born in 1947) remains a great name in atonal music who has greatly contributed to the formal liberation of Greek music. And it would be unfair to speak of Greek classical music without mentioning the artists Mitropoulos and Xenakis. Dimitris Mitropoulos (1896-1960), the Mahler of the country, was an astonishing pianist, an outstanding personality and a demanding conductor. More contemporary, Yannis Xenakis (1922-2001) was a great research musician, famous for his work on electroacoustics to which today's music owes a lot
To listen to classical music or opera in continental Greece, the easiest way is to follow the career of Mýron Michaïlídis. A great Greek conductor, he has elevated to excellence every venue and ensemble he has led. Between 2004 and 2011, Michaïlídis was the General Artistic Director of the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra, where he renewed the programming and rehabilitated its image. To see the latter, one must go to the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, a small architectural jewel overlooking the sea, designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki. Michaïlídis then served as artistic director of the Greek National Opera in Athens between 2011 and 2017. A tour de force (not to say magic), in the midst of the Greek crisis, he saved the institution from bankruptcy, renewed its audience, its programming as well as its reputation. We see international co-productions with great European lyric theaters, masters (Verdi, Wagner or Puccini) impeccably staged or contemporary Greek works. It was under his impetus that the National Opera moved from the Olympia, its historic theater in the center of Athens, to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, an ultra-contemporary performing arts center designed by Renzo Piano. Another name to watch is Byron Fidetzis. This conductor has worked extensively with the Greek repertoire and seeing him conduct the National Orchestra of Athens or the National Symphony Orchestra of Thessaloniki offers an interesting insight into the local repertoire. The Megaron Moussikis, the "Palace of Music", is also an emblematic place in Athens. A modern complex, inaugurated in 1991, it programs the best of classical music and international opera. It is in this modern jewel with excellent acoustics that the world's stars are seen, so the programming is to be watched closely. And the country has seen the birth of a few world stars. Among the soloists, let's mention the pianist Dimitris Sgouros or the virtuoso violinist Leonidas Kavakos, who is sought after by orchestras, without forgetting the charismatic conductor Teodor Currentzis, "the enfant terrible of classical music", renowned for his radical interpretations. And of course there is Maria Callas, "the Callas", a magnificent soprano who thrilled audiences both on and off the stage. The diva remains as famous for the intensity of her interpretations, the extent of her range, the tessitura of her voice, as for her tumultuous affair with the ship owner Aristotle Onassis. Abandoned for Jackie Kennedy and having lost her voice, she died isolated in 1977. Since then, the Callas myth lives on and the thirtieth anniversary of her death in 2007 was the subject of large events in Athens.
Traditional and popular music
As soon as we talk about traditional or popular music in Greece, images of "sirtaki" or echoes of bouzouki, the Greek mandolin, immediately come to mind. If these two aspects monopolize the imagination, a world of fabulous depth is hidden behind them. Crossroads of the Mediterranean, invaded on many occasions, the history of the country is imprinted in its traditional and popular music. This can be heard in the richness of its influences, whether Slavic, Turkish, Venetian or Arab. If all the islands, by their past, have their own folklore, Greece as a whole shares three great musical pillars: the dimotiko, the rebetiko and the laïko
The dimotiko is the oldest Greek folk song. It is commonly divided into two movements, the akritic, dating from the 9th century, and the klephtic, which was common throughout the Ottoman occupation, from the end of the Byzantine period to the beginning of the Greek Revolution of 1821. The latter style is particularly interesting from a documentary point of view, as it relates an important and dark part of Greek history (through stories of love, exile, freedom, death...). The dimotiko is also an opportunity to hear all the typical instruments of folk music: the gaida (bagpipes), the lira, the laouto (the Greek lute), the tambouras (another Greek lute), the daouli (drum)..
The rebetiko. But the emblematic Greek genre par excellence, classified as intangible cultural heritage of humanity, is the rebetiko. It was through it that popular music took off in the early 1960s. This "Greek blues", the song of the uprooted, the excluded, the marginalized, was born in the underground cafés of the Piraeus district in Athens and Thessaloniki in the 1920s. It tells the story of the daily life of the "Micrasiates", Greek refugees expelled from Asia Minor in 1922, who lived in poverty, pain, hunger and drug addiction. A very beautiful music full of spleen which knew its hour of glory in the hands of Vassilis Tsitsanis, Markos Vamvakaris or Marika Ninou. Listening to rebetiko is a ritual, a must on a trip to Greece. To find some, head for the vibrant Exarchia district in Athens. Here, three excellent addresses never disappoint: Aggelos, a restaurant hidden on the first floor of an old building, with good rebetiko (and sometimes a few well-known voices of the genre), the sparkling Trichordo and his house band, or Kavouras, a charming gargote inviting very good local artists. Otherwise, the raw and dark Hamam of Petralona is considered one of the best rebetika scenes in town
The laïko has appeared more recently. Meaning "popular", the word refers to a style of pop music, descended from the rebetiko, which appeared in the 1950s and 1960s. It has evolved over time and now qualifies modern Greek pop as a whole (it can even be understood as a synonym for "mainstream"). A true local variety, laïko carried two stars in the 1960s: Stelios Kazantzidis and Manolis Angelopoulos. Among the great names of contemporary Greek music, its most illustrious ambassador was Manos Hatzidakis (1925-1994). Famous composer of the Children of Piraeus, he is also the discoverer of Nana Mouskouri and made the rebetiko travel. He is, with Melina Mercouri, one of those artists who gave an international dimension to Greek music. Since the 1980s, the great names of Greek popular music have included Dionysis Savvopoulos, Charis Alexiou, Nikos Papazoglou, Giorgos Dalaras and the rocker Vassilis Papakonstandinou. To taste all the Greek popular music, such as laïko, Pontiki is a must in Kypseli. Otherwise the Melodeion in Lavrion, a cultural centre dedicated to Greek music - be it popular, rock or contemporary - is also an excellent address.
Jazz
Without speaking of a "jazz revival", Greece has in recent years brought some very notable names on the international scene. Among the most important are the double bassist Petros Klampanis, the great vibraphonist Christos Rafalides or Vassilis Tsabropoulos, an exciting pianist, also very active in contemporary classical music. In Greece, there are no jazz traditions and the local folklore has never really married there (as in Hungary for example). But as everywhere the genre has many followers here. Thus, every year since 2001, the capital has hosted the Athens Technopolis Jazz Festival, an event that focuses on new forms of jazz and new world stages. Always free of charge, this popular event is held in Technopolis, a former gasworks converted into a museum and cultural centre. Otherwise, jazz lovers will love The Zoo, a slightly offbeat bar that's worth a visit for its atmosphere, Half Note, the oldest jazz club in town and the meeting point for big bands passing through, or the Spiti Art bar, a must with good bands and a very pretty setting.Current music
After more than a decade of crisis and austerity policies, the difficulties of keeping an artistic project afloat in the country are innumerable. And yet many artists have chosen not to leave the country. Among those who feed the local scene while cultivating international recognition are Dimitris Papadatos (known as Jay Glass Dubs), Panagiotis Melidis (aka Larry Gus) and especially the duo Keep Shelly In Athens. Three entities known abroad, three electronic music projects. And this is probably not due to chance. The country has been full of visionary artists in the field in the past such as Vangelis (composer of the soundtrack of Blade Runner) in the 1980s or Léna Plátonos, a pioneer and local pride. The importance of electronic music in today's young creation can also be explained in two ways. The first is that the genre is almost systematically instrumental. Without words, it transcends the language barrier and is very easily exported. Also, electronic music is often a soundtrack to nightlife. And the least we can say is that Athens and Thessaloniki are particularly lively at night. In the capital, it's quite simple, you're spoilt for choice. One of the most popular venues on the local art scene (and with the public) is Six D.O.G.S. Nestled in the Monastiraki district, the place offers events almost every night and manages to bring together the cream of the local and international electronicscene with a slight inclination for the avant-garde. Unique in the city.Another must-see Athenian all-nighter is Booze Cooperativa. Decorated like no other with its long wooden tables, benches, photo exhibitions and neo-industrial atmosphere, Booze stands out in the local landscape. Arty and LGBT-friendly, even in its programming (which is also very vast: electro, pop, hip-hop, etc.). Also singular, also neo-industrial, also adored by Athenians: the Romantso. This former printing house converted into a coworking
space, bar and club composes a demanding program made of local talents. A good address to taste the best of local creation. The most specialized programming of the local scene is the well-named Temple. Located just a stone's throw from Technopolis in Gazi, the place puts on nights like you'd expect to see only in Berlin.Note that the capital also has a very nice rock scene (especially stoner rock). You can listen to it at the Kyttaro, a nerve centre for the genre since 1970 located near Exarchia, as well as at the Gagarin 205.
Finally, let's not forget that there was a time when people came from Athens to enjoy the nights of Thessaloniki. Hideous and cold for some, the city reveals itself at night in a new light: festive, relaxed, young, mixed. From now on, while the nightlife is still in full swing, the quality of the events on offer does not match that of Athens.The dance
Funnily enough, sirtaki is not a traditional dance, but it has become one over time. Created in 1964 by Jean Vassilis (to music by Theodorakis) for the film Zorba the Greek by Michel Cacoyannis, it was nevertheless inspired by a traditional dance, the hasápikos (or hasaposerviko) from Constantinople but did not really exist before that. The most famous traditional dance of the country is therefore not "traditional". And yet folk dances, in Greece, there are a lot of them - in fact, there are an estimated 10,000 different ones all over the country. And although they reflect regional specificities, they share a common base. For example, like syrtos, many dances are performed in circles. Indeed, originally, by forming a circle, the dancers intended to protect themselves from harmful influences. Among the remarkable regional dances in the Peloponnese is the tsakonikos, recognizable by its roundness which ends in a labyrinthine formation. In Thessaly, we see karagouna with fabulous costumes. In Epirus, the tsamiko is danced between men only and holding hands at shoulder height. And in Macedonia, it is not uncommon to attend an anastenaria, a ritual of walking on the fire accompanied by singing and dancing
The history of classical dance in Greece is embodied by a major figure: Tatiana Mamaki. She was choreographer of the National Opera, founded the Athens Ballet School and allowed Greek dance to spread beyond its borders. Today, the Greek National Ballet is in the good hands of Konstantinos Rigos. Director of the institution since 2018, he has undertaken to give a contemporary Greek reading to great classics(Swan Lake) while promoting pillars of local heritage such as Hatzidakis. In the field of contemporary dance, the country boasts some internationally acclaimed choreographers renowned for the intensity and ingenuity of their work, such as Dimitris Papaioannou and Toúla Limnaios. The best way to enjoy local contemporary dance is to visit the Onassis Foundation in Athens. A gigantic complex of 18,000m2 entirely dedicated to art (dance, theatre and plastic arts), with particularly accessible rates, the place has imposed itself at a time when the capital was cruelly lacking in large-scale performance venues.
The theater
If one looks for the cradle of Western theatre, one is bound to land in Greece. From Aeschylus, the father of tragedy, to Sophocles and his moral dilemmas, to Euripides, who overturned the writing of heroic narrative, modern theatre owes a great deal to ancient Greece. Eclipsed by the importance of its forefather, contemporary Greek theatre is less noticed but certainly no less remarkable. Playwrights such as Iákovos Kambanéllis, Dimítris Dimitriádis (formerly directed in France by Patrice Chéreau), Níkos Kazantzákis (author of the novel that inspired Zorba the Greek), Yánnis Mavritsákis (performed in France on the initiative of Olivier Py) and Lèna Kitsopoùlou bring Greek writing to its most diverse and vibrant form on the international stage. And if the 2008 crisis and its budget cuts have led to a decline in activity or quality, contemporary Greek theatre has, on the contrary, been revitalized, supported by a new generation of surprising and daring actors and directors
One of the best addresses in the country remains the National Theatre of Greece. Founded in 1930, its aim at the time was to promote Greek culture through productions of ancient Greek theatre. Under the impulse of its current artistic director Dimitris Lignadis, the place is now also turning towards modern dramaturgy and experimental theatre. Another beautiful place in the city, the Poreia Theatre offers current and effective stagings of texts that they are always the first to perform. And, as with contemporary dance, the Onassis Foundation is an important anchor for contemporary Greek theatre. Success is unshakeable, and performances are often sold out. But the epicentre of theatre in Greece remains the Festival of Athens and Epidaurus. Directed by Yorgos Loukos, it is one of the densest and most beautiful theatre festivals in Europe and its programme offers excellent texts and authors. Performances take place in the capital's most prestigious venues, including Herod Atticus' Odeon on the illuminated silhouette of the Acropolis. It's a good idea to find out more, because watching an ancient play or a contemporary ballet on these marble tiers of thousands of years old is a unique experience.
