Greek idols

1. Melina Merkouri 1920-1994

Melina Merkouri (Maria Amalia Merkouri) was born on October 18th,1920. She was the Mayor Spiros Merkouris’ favourite granddaughter and the Minister Stamatis Merkouris’ daughter.

She studied theater at Drama School in Athens(1943-1946).Her first role was in ‘’Stella’’, a film directed by Michael Kakoyannis.

However , her role in the film ‘’Never on Sunday’’ made her famous all over the world in 1960.

In 1965 she got married to the American director, Jule Dassin, who directed the films ‘’Never on Sunday ‘’(1960), ‘’Fedra’’(1962), ‘’Topkapi’’(1964) and ‘’A dream of passion’’(1978). Melina also played important roles of the ancient Greek theatre. She sang songs written by Manos Hatzidakis, Mikis Theodorakis and Stavros Xarhakos.

Melina Merkouri fought hard against the Greek Dictatorship from abroad where she lived. The dictators forbade her to live in Greece. After the events of Polytechnio on November 1973 and when Democracy was established in Greece, Melina came back and became a politician.

She was the Minister of Civilization in the Greek Government in 1981-1989 and in 1993-1994.Her dream, till her death, was the return of the Parthenon marbles from the British Museum.

Melina Merkouri asked for the Greek marbles from the British government many times.

She died of cancer in New York on March 6th, 1994.On March 10th,1994, the day of her funeral, thousands of Greeks and many politicians and artists from all over the world were in Athens for the last farewell. All the theatres were closed in Broadway for the Greek famous actress and politician!

Some years after her death, her husband Jule Dassin founded the Cultural Foundation ‘’Melina Merkouri.’’ The purpose of this foundation was the return of the Marbles of the Parthenon in Athens, where they belong.

Theo, class B1 2. Maria Callas

Maria Callas’ full Greek name was Maria Sofia Anna Kaikilia Kalogeropoulou . She was born in New York, on December 2nd , 1923. Her parents moved to the U.S.A. because they wanted to find better jobs and of course a better life. When she was young, she used to play piano. At the age of eleven she won the first award in a competition of children’s voices. In 1937 she moved with her older sister and her mother in Athens and she studied music at the Ethnic Conservatory. Later, she got married on April 21st, 1949. Her husband was the industrialist Giovanni Battista Menegkini who loved her very much as an artist and as a woman. With her husband’s help, her career took off and she became one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. She gave many successful opera performances at the most famous opera houses of the world, in New York, in Rome, in London, in Paris even in Japan! In 1954 Maria Callas was on a diet because she

wanted to lose weight and changed her image. In the summer of 1957 she was introduced to Aristotle Onasis and rumours said that they had an affair. In 1966 Callas had a divorce from Menegkini hoping to a marriage with Onasis. But finally A. Onasis married to the American President widow Jackie Kennedy, an event that depressed Callas deeply. After many years of success, unfortunately the opera diva died of heart attack on September 16th, 1977 in Paris, She was 54 years old and worldwide famous!

Maria D, class B1

3. Mikis Theodorakis

Birth: July 29th, 1925 (90 years old) Place of birth: Chios Politician and music composer

Mikis Theodorakis (b. 1925), of Cretan origin, is one of the most important contemporary Greek composers. He is politician, former minister, four times member of the Greek parliament and activist honored with the Lenin Peace Prize (1983).

He has dealt with all kinds of music and has composed the most recognizable Greek music internationally, the sirtaki "Zorba" (1964), based on traditional Cretan music. Also he has worked with classical music writing agreements, oratorios, ballets, operas and chamber music.

His compositions have been interpreted by world-renowned artists, such as the Beatles, the Shirley Bassey and Édith Piaf, and has written music for blockbuster movies such as Phaedra (1962), Alexis Zorbas (1964), G (1969) and Serpico (1973) . He was also nominated for Grammy on the theme of Zorba and Serpico films in 1966 and 1975 respectively.

However, his most important work was when he used poetry to his music, like George Seferis (Nobel 1963), Pablo Neruda (Nobel 1971), Odysseus Elytis (Nobel 1979 ).

Childhood Mikis Theodorakis was of Cretan descent and was born in Chios on July 29th , 1925. He spent his childhood in many cities like Mytilene, Ioannina, Kefalonia, Pyrgos, Patra and mainly Tripolis because his father was a civil servant.

Since then it became apparent that his life would be shared between music and fights for human values. In Tripoli, only 17 years old, gives his first concert with his work Kassiani and takes part in the resistance against the occupiers. In the great demonstration of March 25th ,1943 he is captured by the Italians and is tortured. He escapes to Athens, where he organises ELAS. At the same time he studies at the Athens Conservatory.

Civil War During the Civil War Theodorakis participated to the battles of Athens in December 1944 alongside EAM- ELAS. He was pursued by the police. He lived illegally in Athens without stopping his revolutionary action. Eventually he was arrested and sent to exile in Ikaria and then to the so-called death camp, Makronissos. Eventually he graduated from the Conservatory in 1950 with a degree in harmony.

His inspired music In September 1960 he recorded the Epitaph, which opens a new road for the Greek music because it combines contemporary folk music with contemporary Greek poetry. The first version of Epitaph Ritsos (written in 1958) was recorded by Nana Mouskouri and conducted by Manos Hadjidakis. That same year Mikis Theodorakis starts and almost ends Axion Esti

by Odysseas Elytis.

In 1964 Mikis Theodorakis acquires international recognition with the composition of music for the film by Michael Kakoyannis, Alexis Zorbas (Zorba the Greek).

Dictatorship On April 21th , 1967 he resists against the dictatorship. In May 1967 he founds the first resistance organization against the dictatorship, the TDM and is elected its president.

Arrested in August 1967, followed by imprisonment on Bouboulinas Street, isolation, prisons Averof, the great hunger strike, the hospital, the release from prison, house arrestment and finally the Oropos camp. All this time he is composing music. He manages to send many of the new projects abroad where sung by Maria Farantouri and Melina Merkouri.

He dedicates all his time touring around the world with concerts, meetings with heads of state and celebrities, interviews, statements about the fall of the dictatorship and the restoration of democracy in Greece. His concerts become a tribune of protest also for other people facing similar problems: Spaniards, Portuguese, Iranians, Kurds, Turks, Chileans, Palestinians.

In 1974 with the fall of the dictatorship returns to Greece. He is continuously composing music. It gives numerous concerts both at home and abroad together with Maria Farantouri. At the same time he participates in public either as a citizen or as a member of the Parliament (the periods 1981-1986 and 19891992) and as a Minister of State (1990-1992), position from which eventually resigns.

In 1976 he founded the Movement "Culture of Peace" and gives lectures and concerts all over Greece. In 1983 he was awarded the Lenin Prize for Peace.

Political Activity In 1974 Mikis Theodorakis was candidate of the party of the United Left, but failed to be elected. In 1978 he decided to be a candidate as a mayor of Athens, but again he failed to be elected. In 1981 he manages to be elected MP with the Communist Party, the same repeated in 1985. In 1990 with the

breakdown of the Communist Party and because of the disagreement he had with this situation, he decides to be elected as an independent member and he has been a minister for about 2.5 years. On December 1st, 2010 Mikis Theodorakis announced the establishment of Independent Citizens Movement called "Spark". In September 2013 he decided to leave "Spark". In the referendum of July 5th, 2015 he was in favour of NO. Panagiotis , class B1

4. Odyssey Elytis

Odyssey Elytis was born in Heraklion, Crete on November 2nd , 1911. His real name was Odyssey Alepoudelis. His father and his uncle owned a soap factory in Heraklion. Elytis had been studying at D.N. Makri’s private Primary school for seven years.

His family was in favour of Eleftherios Venizelos.

In November 1920 when Venizelos lost his political power, Elytis’ family was persecuted and his father was arrested. In 1923 he travelled to Europe with his family and he had the opportunity to meet Eleftherios Venizelos in Lozani.

In the autumn of 1924 he signed up at the 3rd Male Junior High School of Athens and collaborated with a literature magazine named “ Diaplasis ton Paidon” using a lot of nicknames. He wrote many pieces of literature. In the summer of 1928 he graduated from school. He decided to study Chemistry. At the same period he came in touch with Kavafis and Kalvos’ work. In 1930 he resigned from his intention to be a chemist and he was registered to the Law school of the university in Athens where he studied the contemporary poetry. At that time he met George Sarantaris who helped him decide to publish his work and he collaborated with old and younger remarkable writers and poets. His first poems were published in the magazine ‘’Nea Grammata’’.

In 1940 he was in Albania because of the World War II. He was there until he was ill and he was taken to the hospital in Ioannina.

In 1960 he published ‘’Axion Esti’’ for which Mikis Theodorakis wrote his divine music in 1964. Elytis refused to take the Literature prize which the Greek dictatorship decided to give to him since he was against them.

He was honored with the Nobel prize of Literature in 1979.

Odyssey Elytis published many poems, essays and articles in literature magazines. He was respected for his work worldwide.

He died in Athens on March 18th ,1996 at the age of 84.

Evdokia, class B1

5.Carolos Koun

Carolos Koun’s real name was Carolos Koen. He was born in Prousa, Turkey on September 13th ,1908. He was Greek.

He studied at "Rovertio School" of Constantinople and afterwards he studied Aesthetics in Sorbonne University in Paris. He spoke English, French and German fluently.

At the beginning of his career he worked as an English professor in Athens College. He first appeared as a director in the film "To telos tou taxidiou tou Serif" and he also presented Aristophanes and Shakespeare’s plays with his students. In 1934-1936 he cooperated with many talented and successful actors and actresses like Katerina and Marika Kotopouli. He founded the "Laiki Skini’’, the "Theatro Tehnis" and his own

drama school at his theatre in 1942. During his successful career he directed foreign authors’ famous plays such as Wilder, Brecht, Miller, O’ Neil, Becket. His performances travelled all around Europe.

In 1984 the Greek State granted a place in Plaka, Athens for the erection of Carolos Koun’s theatre. He was honored with the medal "Finikas”, with the silver medal of the Athens Academy and with the praise of the “Theatre of Nations”.

He died in Athens on February 14th,1987.

Fotini, class B1

6.Manos Hatzidakis

Manos Hatzidakis was a Greek composer and theorist of the Greek music.

Manos Hatzidakis was born in Xanthi on October 23rd,1925

His father was the lawyer, Georgios Hatzidakis, who came from the village Mirthios, Agios Vasileios in the Rethymno prefecture in Crete, and Aliki Arvanitidou, who came from Adriano polis.

His musical education began at the age of fourteen. He had piano lessons from the Armenian pianist Altunian. At the same time, he learned to play the violin and the accordion.

After his parents’ divorce in 1932 he moved to Athens with his mother. In 1938 his father died at an airplane crash. So, he is

forced to work as an ice seller, an employee at the port and as a photographer.

He studied advanced music theory with Menelaos Pallandio, in the period 1940-1943. At the same time, he studied Philosophy at the University of Athens, but he never got a degree. At that time he meets famous artists like the poets Seferis, Elytis, Sikelianos, Gatsos, the painter Tsarouhis and the director Carolos Koun. He also meets Mikis Theodorakis during the World War II. His first famous work was the song "Hartino to fegaraki". His first piano composition was: "For a Small White Seashell" ("Για μια Μικρή Λευκή Αχιβάδα"). He also wrote: ‘’Exi laikes zografies’’, "Agapi poy gines dikopo machairi" which is the soundtrack of the film "Stella", "Ta paidia tou Peiraia" which is the soundtrack of the film "Never on Sunday", ‘’Odos Oneiron’’ and many others.

He cooperated with the director Michael Kakoyannis, the actress Melina Merkouri, the singer Nana Moushouri, the director Jules Dassin, who were his close friends, too.

He died at the age of 68 in Athens on June 15th, 1994.

Thanasis, class B1

7.Nana Moushouri

Nana Moushouri was born in Chania on October 13th, 1934. Her real name was Ioanna Moushouri. Her family lived in Chania.

Her father Constantinos Moushouris worked as a film projectionist at a local cinema. Her mother, Aliki Katsarou was born in Corfu and she worked at the same cinema with her husband. When Nana was three years old they moved to Athens. She had also an elder sister, Jenny who had a very good voice and studied music. In 1950, Nana was accepted at the Conservatoire. She studied classical music with an emphasis on singing opera. By 1958 Nana met the composer, Manos Hatzidakis who was impressed by her voice! Nana sang Hatzidakis’ song ‘’Kapou Iparchi agapi’’ in the first Greek Song Festival in 1959 and she won an award. In 1960 she performed two more Hatzidakis’ songs, ‘’Kiparissaki’’ and ‘’Timoria’’ in the Greek Song Festival and she won the awards once again.

Nana’s voice travelled to Germany, France, England, New York.

She had many concerts in the UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, Thailand, Malaysia. She has recorded songs in many languages such as English, German, French, Dutch,

Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Welsh, Chinese and Turkish! In October 1993 she was appointed a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador. In 1994-1999 she was a member of the European Parliament through the New Democracy party.

On July 23th and 24th , 2008, Moushouri gave her two final 'Farewell Concert' performances at the ancient Herodes Atticus Theatre, in Athens before a packed stadium, including Greece's Prime Minister and Athens mayor, plus the mayors of Berlin, Paris and Luxembourg, along with fans from around the world and thousands of her Athenian admirers.

Now she lives in Switzerland with her second husband, Andre Chapelle. She has got two children.

Carmen, class B1