Mikis Theodorakis/Tatiana Papageorgiou

Mikis Theodorakis/Mini Biography

Mikis Theodorakis was born in the Greek island of Chios, in 1925. The exact same year that the other great composer of Greece was born in Xanthi, Manos Hatzidakis. He fought during the 2nd World War, and he was captured at the city of Tripoli. He was tortured, but when he was set free, he joined the partisan army of Greece named EAM, which means National Liberating Movement. He took part in the civil war in Greece which occurred during 1945-1949, always with the left parties of Greece. He was exiled for the first time in the island of Ikaria in 1947, he was transferred to the island of Makronisos in 1948.

He marries Myrto Altinoglou, five years later in 1953, and one year later he moved in Paris in order to continue his studies in music. He composed continuously during the following years using some of the most wonderful poems in order to express the people of Greece. After Lamprakis, a Parliamentary representative was murdered, Theodorakis becomes himself a member of the Parliament and the number one enemy of the Right parties of Greece.

The great composer doesn't not stop expressing his need and hope for democracy even when military dictator Georgios Papadopoulos takes power in Greece in 1967. Some months later the military dictatorship decides that he is not 'welcome' in his own country, he is exiled for one more time. Great personalities express their support to this great composer, like Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Miller etc.

He became internationally famous when he composed the music for the film Alexis Zorbas (1964), directed by Mihalis Kakogiannis and starring Anthony Quinn. But he was becoming very popular even before that film, when he was composing music for the Jules Dassinfilm Phaedra (1962) starring Melina Mercouri, Anthony Perkins, Raf Vallone, and Kakogiannis' Ηλέκτρα (1962/I) starring Irene Papas, Aleka Katselli. He even composed music for such acclaimed films like Z (1969) by Costa-Gavras starring Yves Montand and Papas, and Serpico (1973) by Sidney Lumet starring Al Pacino. He came back in 1974, but he stayed only for 6 years. Theodorakis was dissatisfied and went back in Paris and finished his third big work, Canto General, which together with the music from the film Alexis Zorbas (1964) and "Axion Esti", a piece of work based on the poems of the Nobel winner poet Odysseas Elitis.

During the 80s he became for one more time member of the Parliament and issue of controversy in the beginning of the 90s, when he collaborated with the right party's prime minister Konstantin Mitsotakis. In 1992 he composed the Canto Olympico for the Olympic Games of Barcelona.

His opera Ilektra gained very good reviews, in Luxemburg, the Capital City Of Europe in 1995. He composed also another opera of Lysistrati for the Olympic Games of Athens in 2004. Although, he created controversies with his actions during the last decades, 1980-1990, Mikis Theodorakis is one of the greatest composers of Greece and he created the modern music of Greece together with Manos Hadjidakis.

Saurce: IMDb

Tatiana Papageorgiou plays Theodorakis

«A Hostage» or «Suite for piano and orchestra», as presented in the Athens Concert Hall with «March of the Spirit» and  «Canto General».

Here Tatiana Papageorgiou (piano) and the Symphony Orchestra of Athens. Conductor: Loukas Karytinos.

«Ένας όμηρος» ή «Σουίτα για πιάνο και ορχήστρα», όπως παρουσιάστηκε στο Μέγαρο Μουσικής Αθηνών, μαζί με το «Πνευματικό Εμβατήριο» και το «Canto General».

Εδώ η Tatiana Papageorgiou (πιάνο) και η Συμφωνική Ορχήστρα του Δήμου Αθηναίων. Διευθύνει ο Λουκάς Καρυτινός. 

Tatiana Papageorgiou

Tatiana Papageorgiou has been established as a Greek pianist with international artistic activity among the new generation. Born in Athens, she began playing the piano at the age of five and received her concert piano diploma at the age of eighteen with ‘excellent unanimously, first prize and a gold medal’. At fourteen she was a prize winner at the XVII Greek Piano Competition, and a few years later a recipient of prestigious awards-scholarships by the British Council, the London Royal College of Music, the International Jeneusses Musicales, and the Greek State Scholarships Foundation (IKY). In 1990, she settled in London where she engaged in postgraduate studies in piano and conducting at the Royal College and the Royal Academy of Music (both awarded her their highest distinctions during entrance and final examinations). During her eight-year stay in London, she maintained an active performing career and won several distinctions (RCM Schumann Prize, PLG Competition for a Purcell Room Recital of c-20th music, BC Fellowship).

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Τατιάνα Παπαγεωργίου

Γεννήθηκε στην Αθήνα. Η Τατιάνα Παπαγεωργίου σπούδασε πιάνο με τον καθηγητή Τώνη Γεωργίου (Εθνικό Ωδείο) και έλαβε το Δίπλωμα Πιάνου με 'Αριστα παμψηφεί και της απονεμήθηκε Πρώτο Βραβείο Χρυσό Μετάλλιο. Επιπλέον σπούδασε Ανώτερα Θεωρητικά (Αρμονία, Αντίστιξη, Φούγκα, Ενορχήστρωση) με τους συνθέτες Μιχάλη Τραυλό, John Wilkinson και Περικλή Κούκο. Συνέχισε ανώτερες σπουδές πιάνου στο Βασιλικό Κολέγιο και στη Βασιλική

Ακαδημία Μουσικής του Λονδίνου (Πιάνο και Διεύθυνση Ορχήστρας), με υποτροφίες - βραβεία του Βασιλικού Κολεγίου, του Βρετανικού Συμβουλίου και του Ιδρύματος Κρατικών Υποτροφιών (Ι.Κ.Υ.). Καθηγητές της υπήρξαν οι διεθνούς φήμης πιανίστες Yonty Solomon (Λονδίνο), Lev Vlassenko (ΗΠΑ), Alexander Kelly (Λονδίνο), Tania Sarkrorssova - Alexeev (Λονδίνο), Karl - Heinz Kammerling (Ζάλτζμπουργκ), καθώς και οι Bernard Ringeissen, Lev Naumov και Duo Ganev σε διεθνή σεμινάρια.

Κατά την οκταετή παραμονή της στο Λονδίνο και παράλληλα με τις σπουδές της, ανέπτυξε έντονη μουσική δραστηριότητα αποσπώντας σημαντικές διακρίσεις (RCM Schumann Prize, Park Lane Group Competittion, BC Fellowship, RCM Concerto Trial). Από το 1988 έως το 1991 συμμετείχε στα σεμινάρια πιάνου της Θερινής Ακαδημίας Mozarteam του Ζάλτσμπουργκ, της Α.Δ. Ακαδημίας της Βιέννης και στο Θερινό Φεστιβάλ της Βαρκελώνης με υποτροφία των Jeunesses Musicales. Το 1991 έκανε το ντεμπούτο της στο Λονδίνο με το Δεύτερο Κονσέρτο για Πιάνο και Ορχήστρα του Rachmaniofott με την ορχήστρα του Βασιλικού Κολεγίου Μουσικής του Λονδίνου. Το 1994 φοίτησε στο Πανεπιστήμιο Ιντιάνα (Μπλούμινγκτον) των ΗΠΑ, όπου έγινε δεκτή στο Artist's Diploma, ενώ το 1995 ολοκλήρωσε σπουδές Μάστερ με διάκριση στο Πανεπιστήμιο Ρέντινγκ της Αγγλίας με ερευνητικό θέμα το πιανιστικό έργο του Heitro Villa-Lobos. Στο ίδιο πανεπιστήμιο υπήρξε μέλος του διδακτικού προσωπικού, ενώ σήμερα ολοκληρώνει διδακτορική διατριβή με θέμα το πιανιστικό έργο του Μίκη Θεοδωράκη.

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