Music night pays tribute to Thanos Mikroutsikos

Music evenings for all tastes are coming up this month at Technopolis 20 in Paphos. Jazz, Latin, flamenco sounds and more will fill the venue’s charming garden. Adding to its August agenda is a music night at the end of the month that is dedicated to great influential Greek composer Thanos Mikroutsikos.

On Wednesday, Savvas Chrysostomou on vocals, Paulos Ellinas on the piano and Giorgos Hadjipapa on wind instruments will present a repertoire that pays tribute to the composer’s songs and noteworthy career.

“Thanos Mikroutsikos began composing at the end of the 1960s but only officially debuted in 1975, with the release of his album Politika Tragoudia (Political Songs),” explain organisers. “He continued on this compositional path, setting to music the poems of Giannis Ritsos, Vladimir Mayakovsky, Manos Eleftheriou and Bertold Brecht, among others. His album, Stavros tou Notou (Southern Cross), set to the poetry of Nikos Kavvadias, has been one of the musical landmarks of modern Greece.

“He has worked with many renowned singers,” they add, “such as Maria Dimitriadi, Haris Alexiou, Manolis Mitsias, Dimitris Mitropanos, Vasilis Papakonstantinou, Christos Thibaios and Giannis Koutras. His music has been particularly well-received and recognised in Western Europe. During his career, he has managed to liberate the form of Greek song, adding together elements from the modernist and classical Western traditions. He also experimented with the combination of tonal and atonal sounds and with morphological variation.”

The intimate concert will begin at 8pm bringing melodies and sounds loved by generations.

Tribute to the Greek composer Thanos Mikroutsikos

Concert with Savvas Chrysostomou, Paulos Ellinas and Giorgos Hadjipapa. August 30. Technopolis 20, Paphos. 8pm. €12. Tel: 7000-2420