The leading performer of the art Greek song and the sensitive troubadour of the younger generation reveal their musical kinship through the interpretation of their classic hits as well as well-known or "misrecognized" songs that for the first time they "dress" with their own voice: timeless pieces of Theodorakis, Hadjidaki, Little one, Vail, Dala et al. in Tripolitan poetry, Eleftheriou, John, Brecht, Hikmet etc.

Maria Farandouri-Christos Thebeos: the "ideal performer" of Mikis Theodorakis, leading presence in artistic Greek song but also in the corresponding international repertoire (from Kurt Weill to Lucio Dalla) meets the sensitive troubadour of the younger generation, partner of Thanos Mikroutsikos, in a special concert where "the songs and their truth build bridges between past and present and become the occasion for unprecedented interpretative journeys".

On Saturday 7 April, at 8.30 at night, in the Christos Lambrakis Hall – four years after their first collaboration at the Athens Concert Hall with the songs "Love and Death" in music M. Theodorakis – the two great artists reunite on stage to reveal the "common" mark of their musical legacy. To interpret not only selected, their classic hits as well as well-known songs that for the first time "dress up" with their own voice, as well as others, less known – if not "disrecognized" – whose greatness they are trying to highlight in this case.

The performing duo is accompanied by an orchestra consisting of the elite soloists Takis Farazis (piano), Thymio Papadopoulos (crust), Giannis Angelopoulos (drums), Petro Varthakouris (contrabass), Vasso Dimitriou (guitars). The orchestration is by Takis Farazis. The sound is managed by Giorgos Korres and the lighting by Giorgos Kladouris.

The event is a co-production of Megaros Musikis and Cricos Productions.

"Timeless" Songs, inspired, in their entirety, from the catalytic writing of important poets and lyricists, Greeks and foreigners (Nikos Kavadias, Manolis Anagnostakis, Costa Tripoliti, Manos Eleftheriou, Odysseus Ioannou, Bertolt Brecht, Nazim Hikmet et al. So, for example, Maria Farandouri delivers once again with the characteristic, her rich contralto voice "Who is my life", "Funny child" or "Old streets" by Mikis Theodorakis, "Kemal" by Manos Hadjidakis, "Anti-nausea" by Eleni Karaindros and "Eleni" by Thanos Mikroutsikos, however, it also competes with the latter's "Thessaloniki"..

Being the first performer of Brecht in the Greek discography, sings "Mack the knife" from "Pentara's Opera" or "Anna don't cry" from "Brecht's Musical Act" by Th. Little one. While in memory of the recently lost Lucio Dalla – her partner in the past – she performs his famous "Caruzo". Christos Thibeos shares with the Megaros audience his personal hits such as "My Rain", Hamlets of the Moon, "I'm not another" or songs from "Southern Cross" by Thanos Mikroutsikos while performing with passion, power and lyricism in the "Beautiful city" by Mikis Theodorakis.

"The songs and their truth are everything,what unites us with Christos Thebes. The life values ​​that are hidden behind catalytic and deeply philosophical verses, values ​​that have not been lost in time.

Regardless of their age, from their widespread or not recognition, we both try to include these songs in our repertoire" says Maria Farandouri, referring to the concert but also her "musical affinity" with the contemporary songwriter and charismatic performer "on the level of expression, aesthetics and content".

Kinship revealed on stage for the first time the 2008 at the Athens Concert Hall where Christos Thivaios collaborated for the first time with Mikis Theodorakis, performing songs from four of the composer's song cycles – μεταξύ άλλων και από το «Ένας Όμηρος» σε στίχους του Ιρλανδού Μπρεντάν Μπεχάν (in a Greek rendering by Vassilis Rotas). From this circle of his 1966 – first performed by M. Farantouri – six songs will be heard in this concert as well ("September I remember", "I'll send you mother", "Open the window", "I'll give you a piece of gold", "I'm English Young and Lucky" and "Funny Kid").

From the rich work of the composer, the pieces "Passenger" have also been selected, "Given to your night" and "Apostema" from his album "Passenger". 1981 in verses by the important poet-lyricist Kostas Tripolitis, the "Old Streets" (from his album "Balantes". 1975 in poetry Manolis Anagnostakis), "Who owns my life" (from his "Songs of the Struggle". 1974 in poetry by Manos Eleftheriou), "beautiful city" (from his album of the same name 1962, in lyrics by Yiannis Theodorakis), "Someday they will come to tell you" (in lyrics by Lefteris Papadopoulos).

In the concert program, the compositional work of Thanos Mikroutsikos has a leading position. From the era of "Political Songs" (1975) from where you will hear "The most beautiful sea" in lyrics by Nazim Hikmet and "I'm tired of them" in lyrics by Wolf Biermann, from "The Musical Act to Brecht" (1978) ("Anna don't cry") and the "Southern Cross" (1979) in the poetry of Nikos Kavadias ("Bitterness", "Thessaloniki", "Aladdin's Lamp", «Willie»)to the latest "Hamlet of the Moon" (2002) from where the title track as well as "Song Blues" will be heard (f.:K. Tripolitan) and "I'm No Other" (f.: Manos Eleftheriou). Inextricably linked to the style and ethos of the event, and the songs "Kemal" by Manos Hadjidakis (from his "Reflections". 1993, in lyrics by Nikos Gatsos) and “Anti-dizziness (My child, do not sleep)» by Eleni Karaindrou (from his "Great vigilance". 1972). The satirical Brechtian lyrics of the ballad "Mack the knife" set to music by Kurt Weill from "The Quintessential Opera" and the "Alabama song" from the iconic "Rise and Fall of Mahogany City". As well as "Counting time" with music by Lucio Dalla (and lyrics by Dionysis Savvopoulos from his album "The Hotel", 1997) but also his melodic "Caruzo" which Maria Farandouri had recorded for the first time in 1991, in a duet with D. Savvopoulos for the album "17 songs".

Source : culturenow.gr

The State Theater of Northern Greece and the "Hellenic World" Cultural Center present "Madame Sousou" by Dimitris Psathas in Athens as well, after the huge success he achieved in Thessaloniki! From the 25 April, the unsurpassed comedy of Dimitris Psathas is staged at the "THEATER" of the "Hellenic World" Cultural Center, directed by Giorgos Armenis, with Fotini Baxevanis in the lead role and Kostas Santas in the role of Panagiotakis.

This is the only anecdotal theatrical text of Psathas, where it was written 1942 and was presented for the first time by Ms. Katerina – Katerina Andreadis – (Susu) and Emilios Veakis (Panagiotakis), with Spyros Mousouris in the role of Kantakouzenos, marking an unprecedented triumph within the Italo-German occupation.

The role of Susous in the theater was also performed by Mary Aroni (1946), Anna Panagiotopoulou (1998), Marika Nezer in cinema (1948), Georgia Vasiliadou on the radio (1950) and Anna Paitazi on TV (1972) and Anna Panagiotopoulou (1983). Except Emilios Veakis, equally great actors played the role of Panagiotakis: Costas Rautopoulos (1946), Vassilis Logothetidis (1948), Iakovos Psarras (1972), Thanasis Papageorgiou (1982) and Stavros Paravas (1998).

Dimitris Psathas presented "Madame Sousou" for the first time as a euthymogram in continuations from the columns of the pre-war weekly magazine "Thesavros" (1939-1941) entitled "Life and State of Madame Soussos" with enormous success, later she made a compilation of her independent adventures and published it in a book (1941), then he wrote the play (1942), the motion picture followed (1948) which is not preserved nowadays, while in the early 1950s "Madame Soussou" was presented on the radio by Georgia Vasiliadou. End, it was followed by the television series, always scripted by the author himself (1972 and 1986), all with huge success.

CASE
Vouthoulas and Kolonaki. The neo-enrichment and the sudden landing of the "newly impoverished" Greek reality. "Decadance" and delusions of grandeur and good times. But also the misprints of the "sousouds" that we meet around us. All this, through the pen of Dimitris Psathas, in an extremely apt comedy that feels as relevant as ever.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE

It was sunny. Thessaloniki was happy, full of light, and like a little girl in white stockings and black patent leather shoes, he left the laptop and played lame, jumping rope, around everyone and to it, to the ring. What beauty… What kindness, what a shame and pride, what childlike innocence.

I was going to meet Sotiris, my friend, the Director of the State Theater of Northern Greece. He drank his coffee with our beloved Ersi Drini in "Romeo". I sat with them, after of course the three crossed kisses of Sotiris and the crazy hugs of my Ersis.

– Well, George, you will make me a work of Psathas;
– Which of all, I asked.
– Madame Soussou.
– Oh no, no, I don't like it.
– You've read it;
– No.
– Ε, read it and see you later.

And to be at the Director's office the next day, let's talk about Madame Soussou. For today's Sousoudes, for the ego-promoting nouveau riche, belittling others, believing themselves to be of a superior class, despising the,what does not come from her.

What nonsense, what a nutcase, to deny your class, your folk origin, the manners and customs of your people, what immense stupidity... To spend for temporary power, false positions sprinkled with gold dust and like made-up monkeys leaping and somersaulting on the Persian carpets of the living rooms, playing with moral values, our history and culture. Somewhere here I said yes.

Yes, I will upload the work of our great comedian Dimitris Psathas and this because his talent sensed the danger of the modern Greek, his inclination to the so-called, to the snob, at a time when the country was emerging from a fascist war and a civil war, since the arrival of the Americans with the Marshall Plan and UNRA, who filled the province with scumbags, powdered milk and salted peanut butter.

I said a lot, but I don't hide from you that the so-called suffocates me, by the way and our kipasia.
Ας δούμε το κοριτσάκι με τα άσπρα καλτσάκια, τα λουστρινένια παπούτσια, να παίζει ανέμελο, πλημμυρισμένο στο φως και ας υποκλιθούμε, δίνοντας όρκο ότι θα προστατεύσουμε την όμορφη εικόνα.

Ευχαριστώ, πρώτα απ’ όλα, τον Διευθυντή και το ΔΣ του ΚΘΒΕ, τη βοηθό σκηνοθέτη Αγγελική Κίτρινη, τη χορογράφο Αλεξάνδρα Τσοτανίδου, τους συναδέλφους μου ηθοποιούς, τους τεχνικούς και όσους μόχθησαν γι’ αυτό το ανέβασμα. Πάνω απ’ όλα, την κυρία Φωτεινή Μπαξεβάνη, τον Κώστα Σαντά, τον Βασίλη Ευταξόπουλο, τον Δημήτρη Σιακάρα και τη Μαριάννα Παπασάββα.

Closing, θέλω να πω ένα μεγάλο ευχαριστώ στον σκηνογράφο μας Γιάννη Μετζικώφ και βέβαια στον σπουδαίο μουσικό της Χώρας μας Γιώργο Χριστιανάκη.

Καλή διασκέδαση.
With love
George Armenis

Source : culturenow.gr