Mixed reactions to the new ‘Arion’ Greek music awards
The awards were evenly spread and the opinions mixed at the recent inaugural Arion music awards, an initiative launched by the local branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and TV channel Mega. The ambitious venture attempted to cover the entire spectrum of contemporary local music currents from easy-listening pop to entechno – popular Greek music perceived as more sophisticated – but scored only modest success. The event’s biggest drawback was the absence of many winners who missed the chance to pick up their awards in person. Of all the winners – a total of 23 categories were carved out – only 12 attended the ceremony, while a lifetime achievement award given to the veteran composer Mikis Theodorakis was handed out via video. In terms of numbers, Yiannis Ploutarchos was the evening’s biggest winner, with five awards generated by his «Mikres Photografies» album: Best Singer; Best Laiko Singer; Album of the Year; Best Laiko Album; and Best Video Clip. But he, too, was absent. Singer-songwriter Nikos Portokaloglou raked in three awards for Best Soundtrack («Brazilero»), Best Song («Thalassa Mou Skotini») and Best Entechno Album. Pop artist Iro was awarded twice, for Best Pop Album and Best Pop Female Singer, as were Pyx Lax for Best «Enethno» Band and Best Rock Album. The Best Female Singer award went to Anna Vissi, but she wasn’t around either. As for the ceremony itself, hosted by local TV celebrities Fotis Sergoulopoulos and Maria Bakodimou, and as the music played on into the night, no attempt was made to merge the contemporary music fabric’s many styles. Instead, the programming was more in line with the repertoires at modern-day bouzouki clubs. The event’s production was clearly television-oriented, designed to look good on TV rather than for the live audience at the «Fever» venue. The approach had an impact on how the evening’s performers came across, both at the venue and on screen. The more self-respecting entechno crowd – Portokaloglou, Manolis Lidakis, and Manolis Famellos – who all performed live, appeared flat on the TV screen, whereas the prerecorded pop acts, who were backed by dancer-and-balloon gimmick enhancers, served television’s interests. What TV viewers never got to see on their screens was another story. Each commercial break provided jittery members of the audience with an opportunity to rise from their seats for quick smokes and chats with neighbors. Each time, fewer would return to their places. By the end of the four-hour event, which in duration rivaled the longest of Hollywood’s Academy Award ceremonies, large sections of the hall were completely empty. The attempt to establish an awards ceremony that represents all the shades of modern Greek music is fundamentally a positive development. But it has started off in misleading fashion, mostly as a result of the unclear definitions of the many categories assigned. As it turned out, all the acts could have been slotted anywhere. Looking toward the next Arion Awards, we should hope for more distinct categorization and objectives by the organizers. It would leave a clearer overall impression in the end.
