His name has been associated with the "golden age" of Greek cinema. With a host of top performers, many
of whom he highlighted through his songs (from Nana Mouschouri and Marinella to Yiannis Poulopoulos and Yiannis Vogiatzis). Although the compositional work of Mimi Plessas does not stop there, however, the folk music he wrote for the big screen and the stage are the ones that have been widely accepted for years now by those Greeks who still fall in love and dream, to sing and dance with their soul.

To the prolific creator who has over fifty years of successful career, the Concert Hall dedicates an evening filled with his songs that we all loved, songs that move us as they hold up to this day, all their freshness.

 In the concert-tribute to the fruitful and consistent course of Mimi Plessas in the Greek pentagram, which will take place on Tuesday 24 April, at 8.30 in the evening in the Christos Lambrakis Hall, the first place is held by the pieces from the famous Cycle of songs of "The Road" (1969) – songs included on the album of the same name, the first Greek to become gold – , pieces from the Cycle "Talk to me about freedom" – banned by the junta of colonels – as was the song "Tonight I Got Grace", all in lyrics by Lefteris Papadopoulos.

Four accomplished performers of the younger generation, Gerasimos Andreatos, Melina Aslanidou, Rita Antonopoulou and Spyros Kleissas, accompanied by the "En Fonais" Choir and the ERT Contemporary Music Orchestra - under the musical direction of Miltos Logiadis - undertake to give the trigger for an evening of genuine folk entertainment with audience participation. The orchestrations of the songs are signed by the composer. The repertoire consultant is Giorgos Monemvasitis.

They cooperate with the Orchestra: o Mimis Plessas on the piano, George Pahis (bouzouki), Nasos Sopilis (keys) and Dimitris Stasinos (electric guitar).

The concert-tribute to the music of Mimi Plessas is part of the Greek Song Series.

Who doesn't know and hasn't sung "The Statue", "Maria laughed", "Get My Girl Drunk Tonight", Sunday dawns, "First time" or "Give me your mouth"; Pieces that along with so much more, famous and beloved ("The Madman", "Frankoklissa", "I got cloud two places", "Myrsini puts on the whites", "Twelve Mandolins", "There was a deep silence") are included in the now legendary "Road" of Mimi Plessas. In the first Greek record to go gold, album that broke every sales record in the years that followed.

His story began one night at the house of Lefteris Papadopoulos, when Mimis Plessas accidentally saw some of his scattered manuscripts on the table. Feeling “unspeakable tenderness as I read them, since they described my teenage years, the years during the Occupation", as he himself narrates, he asked the great lyricist to take them to set to music. The composer wrote their music in two days, the late director of the Lyra company, Alekos Patsifas, he immediately approved them, even giving the title of the album, and so things went their way. These songs, with Yannis Poulopoulos as the main performer as well as Rena Koumiotis and Popi Asteriadis, recorded – within 10 by Dimitra Papanastassopoulou is published by Dioptra Publications – at Columbia Studios and released it 1969.

In January 1970 "The Road" was transferred to the stage of the "Paxinos" theater, with the same coefficients. But he was censored and hunted by the dictatorial regime as extra songs were added to the show that contained clear messages against him: the "six men" ("Six bothered them but did not testify" ) performed by Yannis Poulopoulos and "Tell me about freedom (and the sun will come back)» by Rena Koumiotis, (songs contained in the following album of the duo Plessa-Papadopoulos "Speak to me for freedom" 1974) while "Tonight I Got My Grace" was bootlegged as an independent single in the same year, the 1970 in the 'Poulopoulos 4' edition. The album "Talk to me about freedom", unlike "The Road", is considered one of the most "unfair" in the history of Greek music as the lyrics of his songs with the main theme of the "black" but also such a historic period for our country 1940-41, they disturbed the junta of the colonels which banned its circulation.

The album though, was published after the post-colonial revolution but was "lost" in the overabundance of political songs that overwhelmed Greek music production at that time. Nevertheless, it deserves special attention since it includes pieces ("this sky", "It was October (Fascism will not pass)», "Heaven", "Jannis", “The cicada (In Pelion)», "The Killed Boy", "from hunger", "Talk to me about freedom", "my mother", "My imprisoned moon", "Six Men" and "The Last Days"), που μεταφέρουν νοερά τον ακροατή στη ζοφερή εποχή της Κατοχής μέσα από τις συγκλονιστικές εικόνες των στίχων του Λευτέρη Παπαδόπουλου.

O Μίμης Πλέσσας γεννήθηκε στην Αθήνα. Από τα μαθητικά του κιόλας χρόνια υπήρξε πρώτος σολίστ του πιάνου στην Ελληνική Ραδιοφωνία ενώ στα 1951, in age 27 years, τιμήθηκε με το πρώτο βραβείο μουσικής του πανεπιστημίου της Minnesota. From the 1952 ξεκίνησε η ενασχόλησή του με τη σύνθεση, τομέα στον οποίο διακρίθηκε επανειλημμένως στην Ελλάδα και το εξωτερικό. Με το κουαρτέτο και τις ορχήστρες του συνεργάστηκε με πασίγνωστους τραγουδιστές της εποχής (Δανάη, Τώνη Μαρούδα, Νινή Ζαχά, Τζίμη Μακούλη κ.ά.) κι ανέδειξε με τα τραγούδια του πολλούς σήμερα διάσημους τραγουδιστές και ηθοποιούς (Nana Mouskouri, Τζένη Βάνου, Γιοβάννα, Μαρινέλα, Ρένα Κουμιώτη, Γιάννη Βογιατζή, Γιάννη Πουλόπουλο, Τόλη Βοσκόπουλο, Στράτο Διονυσίου κ.ά.). Δούλεψε για το θέατρο και τον κινηματογράφο κι έλαβε ελληνικές και διεθνείς διακρίσεις (σε Παρίσι, Εδιμβούργο, Αλτο Μόντε, Ουάσινγκτον, Κάρλοβι Βάρι ).

‘Έχει γράψει μουσική για 104 movies and 70 θεατρικές παραστάσεις. Οι δίσκοι του έχουν γίνει πολλές φορές χρυσοί και πλατινένιοι. Ο πολυγραφότατος συνθέτης έχει καταπιαστεί με όλα τα είδη της μουσικής, από οργανική και συμφωνική έως λαϊκή, πειραματική και μοντέρνα (αναφέρουμε ενδεικτικά τη μουσική που έγραψε το 1993 για τη θεατρική παράσταση του Εθνικού «Η φάρμα των ζώων» του Οργουελ, τη λαϊκή όπερα «Ζευς» σε λιμπρέτο Γιάννη Καλαμίτση (1998), το ορατόριο «Κοσμάς ο Αιτωλός, ο Άγιος των σκλάβων» σε λιμπρέτο Ιάκωβου Αυλητή (1999), την οπερέτα «Τα καμώματα του κάτω κόσμου» σε λιμπρέτο Κώστα Βίρβου (2001), εμπνευσμένη από τους Διαλόγους του Λουκιανού και το συμφωνικό ποίημα «Ο χορός των σφαιρών» (2006), παραγγελία του Ευγενίδειου Πλανητάριου). The 2000 ο Δήμαρχος Αθηναίων τον τίμησε για την πενηντάχρονη προσφορά του στην Ελληνική Μουσική και τον Πολιτισμό με το «Χρυσό Μετάλλιο της πόλης» ενώ έναν χρόνο αργότερα, ο Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας του απένειμε τον Χρυσό Σταυρό του Τάγματος του Φοίνικα για την προσφορά του στον πολιτισμό.

Info

Location Athens Concert Hall (Christos Lambrakis Hall), Βασιλίσσης Σοφίας και Κόκκαλη, Athena
Date Tuesday 24 April, 20:30
Information http://www.megaron.gr/
Ticket prices € 14,00 – 25,00 – 35,00 – 50,00 (Distinguished Zone)
Ειδικές Τιμές: € 7,50(Students, young people, unemployed, DISABLED) – 9,50 (65+, many children)

Source :  culturenow.gr