Unexpected, global Hadjidakis
What would it be like to listen to the songs of Manos Hadjidakis in Portuguese, sung by the singer of Madredeus, or in the Zulu dialect or even in Italian, with lyrics by Pier Paolo Pasolini? The answer will be given on June 23 or 24, when about 30 of the great composer’s favorite compositions will be interpreted in unexpected renditions and by foreign artists, at the Vrachon Theater in Vyronas. This interesting concert has been under preparation for the past two years for the Cultural Olympiad. Same but different Hadjidakis’s son has undertaken the production, with music supervision by Nikos Kypourgos. The actual undertaking was carried out by a Belgian music producer whose knowledge of both Hadjidakis’s music and so-called world music enabled him to introduce the composer’s work to artists from different countries and to coordinate them, so that all of them, despite their differences, could coexist in harmony yet at the same time maintain their individual styles. The aim of the show’s instigators, and of the Cultural Olympiad, is to encourage new approaches to the works of the composer thanks to whom Greek music has traveled across the world. The artists will refresh and bring a different look to compositions that have been loved both in Greece and abroad and which have changed the shape of Greek singing. The participation of the Flemish orchestra Olla Vogala, along with orchestrator Wouter Vandenabeele, was crucial. It took two years of experiments and different approaches by various world music personalities to prepare the forthcoming concert. Finally, about 30 songs and compositions were chosen out of Hadjidakis’s oeuvre. Some of the songs kept the original lyrics, while others were loosely translated into the language of the singers and some acquired entirely new lyrics in Portuguese, English, Hungarian, Norwegian, Flemish and other languages. The concert’s title is «The World and Manos Hadjidakis.» Participating artists include Teresa Salgueiro from Portugal, Faith Kekana and Stella Khumalo from North Africa, Lucilla Galeazzi from Italy and many others, as well as musicians from New Guinea, China, Japan, Australia, Belgium, Iraq and other countries. Tickets will be available from Thursday at the Vyronas Festival Box Office, situated at Mitropoleos & Kapnikareas, the Vyronas Town Hall (32-36 Karaoli & Dimitriou), the Vyronas Municipality Cultural Center (Kyprou & Evangelikis Scholis, tel 210.766.2066, 210.765.5748), the Vrachon Theater Box Office (tel 210.762.6438, 210.762.6738) and Metropolis music stores.
