The greatest musical genius of Greece, the Manos Hadjidakis, was born on 23 October 1925 in Xanthi, «the preserved one and not the other, the horrible one, built later by the inland immigrants», as he himself used to say.
He was the son of the lawyer Georgios Hadjidakis and Alice Arvanitidou. After the separation of his parents in 1932, Manos Hadjidakis with his mother and sister settled permanently in Athens, Greece. Athens.
In the meantime, since the age of four he has started piano lessons with teacher Altunyan, a well-known musician of Xanthi, of Armenian origin. At the same time he was taught violin and accordion.
Iceman and unloader
During the difficult years of occupation and liberation, Manos Hadjidakis works as a stevedore at the port of Piraeus, ice-cream seller at the factory of Fix, employee at the photographic studio of Megaloikonomou, assistant nurse at the 401 Military Hospital.
At the same time, he begins advanced theoretical music lessons with Menelaus Palladio, an important figure of the Greek national music school, and studies in Philosophy at the University of Athens, which he never completed.
At that time, he meets artists and intellectuals (Gatsos, Seferis, Elytis, Tsarouchis, Sikelianos) of the interwar generation, who will contribute substantially to the shaping of his orientations and thinking.. Nikos Gatsos, whom he met in 1943, would remain his great teacher and his dear friend until the end of his life.
Getting to know Kun
His first appearance in the country's musical scene was in 1944 with Alexis Solomos« »The Last Egyptian Vulture", at the Karolos Kun Art Theatre. His fruitful collaboration with the Art Theatre will last for 15 years, with music for performances such as: «The Glass World» (1946), «Antigone» (1947), «Blood Wedding» (1948), «The Desire Bus» (1948), «The Death of Emporakos» (1949), etc.
Meanwhile, in 1949, with a lecture on rebetiko singing, he would stir up a storm of reaction in conservative Greek bourgeois society.
From 1950 onwards write music for ancient tragedies and comedies. Manos Hadjidakis has «dressed» Oresteia, Medea, the Bacchae, Ecclesiastes, Lysistrata, Pluto, Thesmophoria, Frogs and The Vultures.
In 1959 he presents to the Athenian public Mikis Theodorakis, orchestrating and recording his own work «Epitaph» with the Nana Mouskouri.
Hadjidakis and cinema
The music he composed for great musicians is also a great chapter films of Greek and international cinema. We mention, for example, «Kalpiki Lira» (G. Tzavella, 1954), «Stella» (M. Kakoyannis, 1955), «Dragon» (N. Koundourou, 1956), «America-America» (El. Kazan, 1962), «Sweet Movie» (Dusan Makaveyev, 1974), etc.
In 1960 he wins the Oscar award for the song «The children of Piraeus» from the film by Gilles Duchamp, «Never on Sunday», a song which will be included in the ten most commercially successful songs of the 20th century.
However, his music for the Greek cinema and a series of light songs, gives him a «popularity undesirable», which he will never accept and will fight until the end of his life.
A restless spirit, M. Hadjidakis sponsors the «Manos Hadjidakis» Competition for Innovative Composition of the Doxiadis Technological Institute. The prize is awarded to the Iannis Xenakis, then unknown to the Greek public.
In 1966 Manos Hadjidakis goes to the USA, where he puts on the Broadway with Gilles Dassin and Melina Mercouri the theatrical adaptation of «Never on Sunday» entitled «Illya Darling». He would remain in America until 1972 and his musical concept would be heavily influenced by pop music. The result of this influence is the song cycle «Reflections» with the New York Rock and Roll Ensemble.
In 1972, during the darkest year of the junta, he returns to Athens and founds the musical cafeteria «Polytropos», through which he attempts to open up expressive avenues in the musical quagmire of the era.
The birth of the «Third»
In 1975 the golden age of the «Third» begins. It becomes director of the state radio station «Third Program» (1975-81) which, in collaboration with a group of young and talented creators, becomes a reference point.
In 1989-93 he founded the «Orchestra of Colours» to present «original programmes not usually covered by conventional symphony orchestras», which he conducted until the end of his life. The Orchestra of Colours, conducted by Hatzidakis, gave 20 concerts and 12 recitals of Greek and international repertoire with Greek and foreign soloists.
During all these years, Manos Hadjidakis was constantly present in the Greek discography, with dozens of albums that are now considered classics: The Circle with Chalk (1956), A Tale without a Name (1959), Lilac through the Dead Earth (1961), Fifteen Vespers (1964), Mythology (1965), Captain Michael (1966), The Liturgies (1971), Immortality (1975), The Insane (1976), Dark Mother (1985), Songs of Sin (1992), etc.
Unique, brilliant and dynamic, Manos Hadjidakis «passed away» on 15 June 1994.
