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"Ah, Danny, Danny, do you realize the mess you're getting yourself into? I mean, are you really planning to write a review of Mikis Theodorakis? That Theodorakis? How do you come up with these ideas!? You're talking about a piece of history, you don't have the background, you're not up to it, you don't have the knowledge to fully understand it, just forget it, it's better!" This is my Jiminy Cricket, the voice of my conscience, and I know he's right, but I don't care, I want to do it, try it as best as I can, and that's it. I won't bore you by summarizing his biography or crafting some overused speech about what his music meant for his country and beyond; I believe and hope an artist of such caliber needs no introduction, and you can read about these things elsewhere, much better than I could explain. But only I can explain my perspective to you, right? So let's give it a try.
This 1997 collection offers 16 of his best and most well-known sirtakis: an entirely instrumental album, then, with those trembling, tinkling notes that dance like sunlight reflecting on the sea. Of course, there's what is universally recognized as THE sirtaki par excellence, but since everyone knows it, if you don't mind, I'll move on to the other wonders, perhaps less famous, of this great composer. "è un fiume amaro dentro me, il sangue della mia ferita, ma ancor più amaro è il bacio che sulla bocca tua mi ferisce ancor", does that ring a bell? Back then, Zanicchi was still a singer, and quite a good one if you ask me, but ultimately, the voice is just a superfluous addition; "Ine Megalos O Kaimos" is perfect as it is, music and nothing else, music of devastating beauty, vivid, aching melancholy, but which reflects all that is beautiful and good in the world: the joy of living, the colors of a sunset over the sea. A simple (and I emphasize simple) melody can have immense power, it can tell a story, even without words, it can describe a mood, a landscape, the history and life of a people better than anything else; Theodorakis knew this very well and managed to convey all this with unmatched effectiveness. In "Sto Parathiri Stekosoun", you can feel all the enthusiasm, vitality, and sweetness of a young, just-bloomed love, the cadenced, bitter yet absolutely charming harmonies of "Vrehci Sti Ftochoguitonia" perfectly express feelings of discomfort, protest but also proud dignity, while "Kylkamino" is spring exploding in a riot of colors, pure liveliness, and joy of living.
It may be just a simple best of, but "The Very Best Of Mikis Theodorakis" flows with the coherence, grace, and fluidity of an album studied as such and truly studied to perfection; only the concluding, sweet "An Thimitis To Oniro Mou" differs by putting synthesizers and a sound more similar to a classic acoustic guitar in the foreground; otherwise, the silvery tinkling of the bouzouki is the scaffolding that supports each composition, solo instrument and ideally also voice, a voice that sings and communicates without any need for words, with simple arpeggios. Moments of rhythm and cheerful lightness like "Margarita, Margaro" and "Varka Sto Gialo", others more passionate, with a hint of bitterness, "Prodomeni Mou Agapi" and "Otan Sfigoun To Heri", and musical frescoes, seascapes and countryside landscapes evoked in pieces like "Chrysoprassino Filo" and "Sto Periyali To Kryfo"; "Gonia, Gonia" and "Sta Perivolla", with harmonies and atmospheres echoing influences from the Near East.
A fundamental artist? In my opinion, absolutely yes, sublime melodic taste, and a poetics all his own; in his compositions, there's the legacy of an ancient tradition, in which our own musical tradition has its roots, which Theodorakis was able to ferry into the modern era with absolute brilliance and the ability to touch the hearts of many and inspire so many artists who came after him, well beyond the borders of his country. In these melodies, the Mediterranean soul rises again in all its glory and ancient splendor, not that of the royal palaces of Crete and the Domus Aurea but of a wonderful nature and of ordinary people, with their joys and troubles.
This 1997 collection offers 16 of his best and most well-known sirtakis: an entirely instrumental album, then, with those trembling, tinkling notes that dance like sunlight reflecting on the sea. Of course, there's what is universally recognized as THE sirtaki par excellence, but since everyone knows it, if you don't mind, I'll move on to the other wonders, perhaps less famous, of this great composer. "è un fiume amaro dentro me, il sangue della mia ferita, ma ancor più amaro è il bacio che sulla bocca tua mi ferisce ancor", does that ring a bell? Back then, Zanicchi was still a singer, and quite a good one if you ask me, but ultimately, the voice is just a superfluous addition; "Ine Megalos O Kaimos" is perfect as it is, music and nothing else, music of devastating beauty, vivid, aching melancholy, but which reflects all that is beautiful and good in the world: the joy of living, the colors of a sunset over the sea. A simple (and I emphasize simple) melody can have immense power, it can tell a story, even without words, it can describe a mood, a landscape, the history and life of a people better than anything else; Theodorakis knew this very well and managed to convey all this with unmatched effectiveness. In "Sto Parathiri Stekosoun", you can feel all the enthusiasm, vitality, and sweetness of a young, just-bloomed love, the cadenced, bitter yet absolutely charming harmonies of "Vrehci Sti Ftochoguitonia" perfectly express feelings of discomfort, protest but also proud dignity, while "Kylkamino" is spring exploding in a riot of colors, pure liveliness, and joy of living.
It may be just a simple best of, but "The Very Best Of Mikis Theodorakis" flows with the coherence, grace, and fluidity of an album studied as such and truly studied to perfection; only the concluding, sweet "An Thimitis To Oniro Mou" differs by putting synthesizers and a sound more similar to a classic acoustic guitar in the foreground; otherwise, the silvery tinkling of the bouzouki is the scaffolding that supports each composition, solo instrument and ideally also voice, a voice that sings and communicates without any need for words, with simple arpeggios. Moments of rhythm and cheerful lightness like "Margarita, Margaro" and "Varka Sto Gialo", others more passionate, with a hint of bitterness, "Prodomeni Mou Agapi" and "Otan Sfigoun To Heri", and musical frescoes, seascapes and countryside landscapes evoked in pieces like "Chrysoprassino Filo" and "Sto Periyali To Kryfo"; "Gonia, Gonia" and "Sta Perivolla", with harmonies and atmospheres echoing influences from the Near East.
A fundamental artist? In my opinion, absolutely yes, sublime melodic taste, and a poetics all his own; in his compositions, there's the legacy of an ancient tradition, in which our own musical tradition has its roots, which Theodorakis was able to ferry into the modern era with absolute brilliance and the ability to touch the hearts of many and inspire so many artists who came after him, well beyond the borders of his country. In these melodies, the Mediterranean soul rises again in all its glory and ancient splendor, not that of the royal palaces of Crete and the Domus Aurea but of a wonderful nature and of ordinary people, with their joys and troubles.
Tracklist
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