A Theodorakis revival?

Email received - A quick follow-up to your post on Mikis Theodorakis (seen above). The fairly adventurous Swiss Romande Orchestra is playing next week Theorodakis’s oratorio Axion Esti. The composer was due to conduct but seems cannot because of his health, his replacement is the Greek chief conductor of the contemporary music at the Greek Radio, Andreas Pylarinos. I am quite looking forwards to it.

This comes after a concert where Silvestre Revueltas’s Night of the Mayas was conducted by a Peruvian conductor.

I have personally expressed concerns on the Victoria Hall where the orchestra plays but have to say that the originality of the programs is quite outstanding and overrides all what the World believes on old-fashioned stodgy Switzerland.

Best, Antoine Leboyer
Mikis Theodorakis' Requiem should also be in the repertoire.
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Comments

Pliable said…
In December 2008 Antoine Leboyer forecast on this blog that in 2009 - 'Several opera houses will go down next year or will reduce dramatically their activities, European as well as American'.

http://www.overgrownpath.com/2008/12/2009-will-bring.html

Today comes news of the bankruptcy of Baltimore Opera -

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bal-al.opera15mar15,0,6472107.story
Pliable said…
Email received:

Hi - Just a quick note to mention Theodorakis's Canto General, his setting of poems by Pablo Neruda. Given your encyclopedic knowledge of the repertoire and opinions on it, you may well know it and think it not up to snuff. Plus, I'm definitely a lay listener when in comes to "classical" music. But I have to say I heard a performance of this years ago and it was one of the most affecting musical performances I've ever attended.

Your blog is great. Thanks for all the work you're putting into it.

All the best,
Lyle Sanford

Lyle, thanks for that. I am a huge fan of all of Theodorakis' poetry settings. The Maria Farantouri/John Williams CD that featured in the earlier post includes an arrangement of Theodorakis' Seven Songs of Lorca, which sets poems by Frederico Garcia Lorca.

It is strange. At a time when 'accessibility' is all the rage, Theodorakis' reputation as the composer of 'Zorba the Greek' seems to disqualify him from consideration as a 'serious' composer.

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