Archives: discography

The Great Vigil

COLUMBIA 70159 (1975)

The first album of Eleni Karaindrou and the only one with a cycle of songs, set to poetry by Costas Georgoussopoulos (K.X.Myris). The orchestra was recorded in Greece during the dictatorship and then secretly sent to London, where Maria Farantouri lives at that time, to add her voice. The cover is an Adolescent by painter Yannis Tsarouchis, specially made for this album.

Music: Eleni Karaindrou
Poetry: K.X.Myris

01. The Greek children
02. The revelation
03. The “Hail”
04. The nonprofit shipping line
05. Listen
06. The Greeks once upon a time
07. Do not wake her up
08. Koutris
09. Those who are vigilant
10. Anti-lullaby

Other Publications
EMI 701592 (1993)

The Ballad of Mauthausen & Six Songs

COLUMBIA 70204 (1966)

The four poems of The Ballad of Mauthausen are based on Iakovos Kampanellis’ experiences as a political prisoner in the Nazi concentration camp – all described with details in his book Mauthausen. The work is not only a condemnation of the violence and insanity of war, but also a hymn to love which can flourish even in a nightmarish environment and keep alive the hope of life.

The Six Songs, after the fall of the Greek junta, Theodorakis renames them as Farantouri Cycle honouring Maria Farantouri.

Music: Mikis Theodorakis
Poetry: Iakovos Kampanellis, Dimitris Christodoulou, Yerassimos Stavrou, Tassos Livaditis, Nikos Gatsos

The Ballad of Mauthausen by Iakovos Kambanellis
01. Song of Songs
02. Antonis
03. The Fugitive
04. When the war is over

Six songs – Farantouri Cycle
05. I’m tired of holding you
(Dimitris Christodoulou)
06. The shadow fell heavily
(Gerasimos Stavrou)
07. I took the streets of heaven
(Tassos Livaditis)
08. In the world’s uphill
(Nikos Gatsos)
09. The pendulum
(Nikos Gatsos)
10. The dream
(Nikos Gatsos)

Other Release
EMI 702042 (1990)

Maria Farantouri sings Mikis Theodorakis

ΕΜΙ 7PG 3518 / 7PG 3519 / 7PG 3532 (1965)

Three 45 rpm vinyl, each one with two of the Six Songs, which after the fall of the Greek dictatorship, the Mikis Theodorakis renames them as Farantouri Cycle. Soon after their release, they are re-orchestrated and released on LP with The Ballad of Mauthausen.

Music: Mikis Theodorakis
Poetry: Nikos Gatsos, Dimitris Christodoulou, Tassos Leivaditis, Yerassimos Stavrou

Maria Farantouri: voice
Orchestra & Chorus conducted by Mikis Theodorakis

3518
01. Tired of holding your hand
(D. Christodoulou)
02. In the world’s uphill
(Ν. Gatsos)

3519
01. I took the streets of heaven
(Τ. Leivaditis)
02. The shadow fell heavily
(Y. Stavrou)

3532
01. The dream
(N. Gatsos)
02. The pendulum
(Ν. Gatsos)

A Hostage

COLUMBIA 70216 (1967)

Theodorakis composes the songs from Brendan Behan’s play, sensitized by the liberation struggle of the Irish people and the wider movements for social justice and freedom. The work -with the excellent adaptation in Greek by Vassilis Rotas- very soon becomes a property of the Greek people who make the songs symbols of their own struggles.

Music: Mikis Theodorakis
Poetry: Brendan Behan / Vassilis Rotas

01. On the Eighteenth Day of November
02. The laughing boy
03. Open the door softly
04. I’ve heard my love
05. I remember in September
06. You read the Bible in its Golden Pages
07. I send, dear Mother, to thee
08. Never throw stones at your mother
09. I am a happy English lad
10. Would you live on a woman’s earnings?
11. I will give a golden ball
12. I love my dear redeemer
13. No-one goes by here
14. Who fears to speak of Easter Week
15. The bells of hell

Other Release:
EMI 4802992 (1994)

Sun and Time & Epiphany Averof

MINOS 232/3 (1975)

Theodorakis writes the poems of the cycle Sun and Time when he is kept in solitary confinement at the Police Headquarters in August and September 1967, after he was arrested on August 21st. Soon after, out of the 32 poems he sets to music 16. This album includes their live recording in Paris, in the Palais de Chaillot, in 1971. The numbering follows the order of the poems – the ones that have not been set to music are omitted. Much later other poems of this cycle are set to music by younger songwriters.

The album also includes the flow-song Epiphany Averoff: the whole poem I kept a hold of my life from the poetic cycle Epiphany 1937 by George Seferis.

Music: Mikis Theodorakis
Poetry: Mikis Theodorakis, Yorgos Seferis

Maria Farantouri, Petros Pandis, Maria Dimitriadi, Antonis Kalogiannis: singing
George Wilson, Yves Montand: recitation

Popular orchestra under the direction of Mikis Theodorakis:
Yannis Didilis: piano
Andreas Michalakis, Marios Vlatakis: bouzouki
Nikos Moraitis, Nikos Maniatis: guitar
Yannis Petropoulakis: bass
Gérard Berlioz: percussion
Laureate Dionne: drums

The Sun and Time
I. Hello Acropolis
II. Time dissolves
III. Oh sun, I will stare into your eyes
IV. Upon the arid soil of my heart
V. Between me and the sun
VI. When time stops
VII. The cells are breathing
XVII. Never, never, never
XX. Inside the paradise gardens of my skull
XXIII. Heavenly rivers
XXIV. When you shout
XXV. On the fourth floor
XXVI. The teeth of the sun
XXVII. Sixth of September
XXVIII. Suleiman the Magnificent

Epiphania Averoff (Epiphany, 1937)
I kept a hold of my life – A. Kalogiannis, Y. Montand

Other Release
POLYDOR 511054 (1991)

March of the Spirit & Oedipus Tyrant

POLYDOR 2383023 (1970)

Live recording at the Albert Hall in London. Theodorakis composed the March of the Spirit in the winter of ’69, in the mountainous Zatouna in Arcadia, exiled by the dictatorial regime. In his diary he describes the situation, when in a house arrest, he invites his guards to accompany him: It is snowing outside. I’m alone. The guards are freezing. I call them. It’s warm inside. I give them tsikoudia, walnuts and figs. They take off their greatcoats. I sit at the piano and compose. They look at me goggle-eyed. -Play it again … I take it again from the beginning and move on. I offer them tsikoudia. The snow covered the walnuts. I stop and write on paper. It is getting dark. -Won’t we go to the cafe? … We enter the cafe. -Yannis, I buy drinks for everybody. -What happened to you; Are you marrying anyone? Chronis tells me – I married my music to Sikelianos. -Help raise the sun, says the guard!

Oedipus Tyrant is an ode for String Orchestra, composed by Theodorakis in Paris between 1956 – 1958.

Music: Mikis Theodorakis
Poetry: Aggelos Sikelianos

Maria Farantouri, Antonis Kalogiannis, Yannis Theocharis: singing
London Symphony Orchestra
New Opera London Choir
Male Miners’ Choir of Wales
Conducted by Mikis Theodorakis

March of the Spirit – poetry by Aggelos Sikelianos
I. As I threw the last torch – M. Farantouri
II. Giant Thoughts – Ant. Kalogiannis
III. And I said – G. Theocharis
IV. Come on, help! – M.Farantouri
V. Come on the creators – M.Farantouri
VI. The new Logos – Ant. Kalogiannis
VII. So, as I threw the last torch – M. Farantouri

Oedipus Tyrant

Other Release
POLYDOR 511058-2 (1994)

Theodorakis conducts Theodorakis Vo2

POLYDOR 2393025 (1971)

After their collaboration in the Cyclades Minor and Axion Esti, Theodorakis and Elytis continue with the Romancero Gitano. Odysseas Elytis proceeds to a free adaptation of the poetry of the Spaniard Lorca in Greek and Theodorakis’ setting to music was the last one shortly before the imposition of the dictatorship in Greece. Andreas’s Songs are written for Andreas Lentakis, a key member of Lambrakis Youth and PAM. A partition separates the cells of the two competitors who communicate with Morse code, hitting the wall. The music for the four poems from Mythistorima by George Seferis takes place in January 1968 in Averof Prison, where Theodorakis is being held. In her book about Theodorakis, G. Holst, referring to the song In my chest the wound opens again writes: And this is a song that fits especially in the excellent quality of Farantouri’s voice, who interprets the last verse so intensely that the paradoxical image of Seferis stays in our minds for a long time, after her voice has ceased to be heard.

Music: Mikis Theodorakis
Poetry: Federico García Lorca / Odysseas Elytis, Mikis Theodorakis, George Seferis

Romancero Gitano – poetry by F. G. Lorca / Odysseus Elytis)
01. Antonito El Camborio I – M.Farantouri
02. La morte por el amor – M.Farantouri
03. Antonito El Camborio II – M.Farantouri
04. The gypsy nun – M.Farantouri
05. Soledad – M.Farantouri

Andreas’s songs – lyrics by Mikis Theodorakis
06. What you were – Ant. Kalogiannis
07. We are two – Ant. Kalogiannis
08. They lied to you – M. Farantouri / Ant. Kalogiannis
09. At noon – Ant. Kalogiannis

Mythistorima – poetry by Yorgos Seferis
10. Now that you will leave – M. Farantouri
11. The wound in my chest – M. Farantouri
12. Sleep has embraced you – M. Farantouri
13. A little further – M. Farantouri

Other Release
POLYDOR 527105-2 (1994)

Songs and Guitar Pieces by Theodorakis, John Williams - Maria Farantouri

CBS 72947 (1971)

Analyzing Romancero Gitano musically, Gail Holst, in her book about Theodorakis, writes, among other things: If one were looking for the song that would best suit Farantouri’s rich, erratic voice, this could not be other than Pantermi (Soledad).

Music: Mikis Theodorakis
Poetry: Federico García Lorca / Odysseas Elytis, Brendan Behan / Vassilis Rotas, Mikis Theodorakis, Manos
Eleftheriou

Maria Farantouri: voice
John Williams: classical guitar
Stephen Dodgson: transcription for voice and guitar and solo guitar

Romancero Gitano in poetry by F.G.Lorca
01. Of the Bitter one
02. Antonio Torres Heredia I
03. Antonio Torres Heredia II
04. Loss of love
05. The gypsy nun
06. Preciosa and the Wind
07. Soledad

Epitaph
08. Epitaph No 2
09. Epitaph No 3
10. Epitaph No 4
11. Epitaph No 5

12. The Smiling Boy
(Br.Behan / V.Rotas)
13. Sylva
(M. Theodorakis)
14. Men came
(M. Eleftheriou)

Other Releases
CBS 53688 (1972)
SONY SMK 62266 (1995)