CULTURE

Theodorakis tells of his life in book-and-DVD release

Now into his 80s, master composer Mikis Theodorakis is still providing a steady flow of news in one way or another. In the latest addition to the man’s momentous life story, two filmmakers and journalists specializing in cultural themes, Giorgos Sgourakis and Iro Sgouraki, have put out a pictorial book and double DVD, titled «Mikis Theodorakis – Autobiography, Documents on his Life and Work.» The release’s book, which includes detailed accounts by the composer of his life and work, both in Greek and English, is accompanied by a rich collection of photographs, including numerous everyday scenes, as well as manuscripts containing music and lyrics. Reflecting on his adventurous life, Theodorakis provides accounts on topics such as his roots, family, adolescence, the country’s music scene between the 1940s and ’50s, as well as thoughts about associates who made a major impact on his life, among them the poet Giorgos Seferis and the virtuoso bouzouki player Manolis Hiotis. Also included in the package are two DVDs documenting the composer’s life and work through personal accounts by the artist that that were captured on film by the Sgourakis filmmakers for Greek State Radio and Television (ERT). Furthermore, besides the artist’s comments, there is also a DVD of a recent Theodorakis concert at the Herod Atticus Theater to mark his 80th birthday, as part of the annual Athens Festival. The concert DVD captures a two-night performance on the celebratory occasion. The concert featured five vocalists, namely Nena Venetsanou, Sonia Theodoridou, Lavrentis Macheritsas, Dimitris Bassis, and Zachos Terzakis, backed by the Mikis Theodorakis Popular Greek Music Orchestra along with the ERT Choir. His life is well summarized in a chronology that begins in 1925, the composer’s year of birth, and runs through 2003.

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