Modern Greek Classical Music (playlist)

Modern Greek culture is sometimes eclipsed by Ancient Greece, but even before the Modern Greek state was established there had been musicians who tried to find a national voice in the tradition of Western Classical music. The Corfiots Nikólaos Mántzaros (composer of the Greek national anthem) and Spyrídon Samáras (composer of the Olympic hymn) from the Ionian School are still heavily rooted in Italian music, whereas composers from the Greek National School like Manólis Kalomíris from Smyrna and Emílios Riádis from Thessaloniki show more oriental influences. Some composers like Níkos Skalkóttas and Yánnis Constantinídis also tried to balance more modern techniques with elements from Greek folk music, as did the more famous Míkis Theodorákis and Mános Hatzidákis in their work both "inside" and "outside" the Classical tradition. The avant-garde composer and architect Iánnis Xenákis had also from the beginning shown an interest in finding a Modern Greek musical idiom, continued even after his foray into more advanced territory.

Nikólaos Mántzaros (1795 - 1872)
0:00:00 Sinfonia No. 1 “Di genere orientale” (National Symphony Orchestra of Greek Radio, conducted by Andreas Pylarinos)

Spyrídon Samáras (1861 - 1917)
Storia d’amore o La biondinetta, opera in 3 Acts, libretto by Paul Milliet (Symphony Orchestra Pasardjik Bulgaria & Choir of Radio Sofia, conducted by Byron Fidetzis) - Excerpts
0:09:16 Overture
0:11:26 Intermezzo (Gondolier’s song), Vangelis Hatzisimos: tenor

Manólis Kalomíris (1883 - 1962)
Three Greek Dances (Athens State Orchestra, conducted by Byron Fidetzis)
0:15:23 I. Ballos
0:18:03 II. Idyllic Dance
0:21:26 III. Tsakonikos

Yánnis Constantinídis (1903 - 1984)
0:24:04 Asia Minor Rhapsody (Orchestra of Colors, conducted by Miltos Logiadis)
Five Songs of Anticipation (After texts by Rabindranath Tagore*; Sonia Theodoridou: soprano, Janis Vakarelis: piano)
0:41:53 I. He came and sat by my side
0:44:01 II. Art thou abroad on this stormy night
0:46:38 III. The day is no more
0:49:29 IV. In the deep shadows of the rainy July
0:51:14 V. This is my delight, thus to wait
*I do not know who translated the poems into Greek; the titles given here come from Tagore’s own prose translations into English (Gitanjali, 1913)

Emílios Riádis (1880 - 1935)
String Quartet No. 1, partially reconstructed by Nikos Christodoulou and Byron Fidetzis (Georgios Demertzis: 1st violin, Dimitris Handrakis: 2nd violin, Paris Anastasiadis: viola, Byron Fidetzis: cello)
0:53:13 I. Allegro di molto
1:07:35 II. Variations: Lento...
1:14:12 III. Scherzo: Vivace
1:19:55 IV. Finale: Presto giocando
Cello Sonata No.1 (Byron Fidetzis: cello, Maria Asteriadou: piano)
1:34:30 I. Allegro...
1:49:41 II. Lento...
1:59:39 III. Presto...

Níkos Skalkóttas (1904 - 1949)
Five Greek Dances for String Orchestra (Archi dell'Orchestra Filarmonica di Torino, conducted by Sergio Lamberto)
2:12:32 I. Epirotikos
2:14:18 II. Kretikos
2:16:00 III. Tsamikos
2:18:09 IV. Arkadikos
2:21:35 V. Kleftikos
The Sea, folk ballet (Orchestra of Colors, conducted by Miltos Logiadis)
2:23:27 I. Overture
2:28:31 II. At the seashore
2:31:55 III. Dance of the waves
2:36:03 IV. Trawl boat
2:39:32 V. Small fish
2:41:58 VI. Dolphins
2:46:43 VII. Nocturne
2:51:33 VIII. Preparation of the mermaid
2:53:59 IX. Dance of the mermaid
2:57:00 X. From the tale of Alexander the Great
3:01:52 XI. Finale: Hymn to the sea

Míkis Theodorákis (1925 - 2021)
Chamber music (Georgios Demertzis: violin, Thanasis Apostolopoulos: piano)
Sonatina No. 1 for violin & piano
3:07:46 I. Vivo
3:12:48 II. Largo
3:17:09 III. Allegro
Sonatina No. 2 for violin & piano
3:21:38 I. Andante cantabile
3:25:45, II. Allegretto grazioso
3:32:02 III. Andante con moto
3:34:33 IV. Allegretto con brio
Three Pieces For December, for violin & piano
3:39:06 I. March Through The Night To Makrigiannis
3:45:41 II. Prayer
3:48:45 III. The Partisan's Death

Mános Hatzidákis (1925 - 1994)
Piano works (Danae Kara: piano)
Six Popular Pictures (transcriptions of popular rebetiko songs)
3:52:49 I. Cloudy Sunday
3:58:15 II. Lady
4:01:11 III. Drizzle followed the clouds
4:03:09 IV. The coachman
4:05:34 V. Going for a stroll
4:07:10 VI. Moonless night
For A Little White Seashell
4:10:56 I. March
4:13:20 II. Syrtos
4:14:53 III. Conversation with Prokofiev
4:16:50 IV. Tsamikos
4:17:57 V. Mantinada
4:19:44 VI. Ballos
4:20:47 VII. Nocturne
4:22:17 VIII. Kalamatianos
4:23:46 IX. Pastorale
4:26:28 X. Grand Sousta

Iánnis Xenákis (1922 - 2001)
Six Chansons Grecques (Aki Takahashi: piano)
4:28:28 I. Ça sent le musc
4:29:37 II. J'avais un amour autrefois
4:30:49 III. Une perdrix descendait de la montagne
4:32:29 IV. Trois moines crétois
4:34:54 V. Aujourd'hui le ciel est noir
4:37:44 VI. Sousta, danse
4:39:17 Dhipli Zyia, for violin & cello (Arne Deforce: cello, Wibert Aerts: violin)

Painting: Nikólaos Lýtras, Boat with Sail

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of this music; this video was made for informational/educational use only.