The great composer Mimis Plessas has bid us farewell

The great composer Mimis Plessas has died, just a few days before he would have turned 100, as announced early this morning by his wife, Loukila Carrer, in a post on social media.

As she said a tender goodbye, she said, «And you won’t be by my side either, star of my life,’ adding, »Thank you for everything« and »I’ll love you forever.«.

The composer, who had countless hits, passed away, leaving behind a remarkable legacy.

One of the most important and prolific Greek composers, who moved with characteristic ease across the spectrum from jazz and light music to art-oriented folk songs and large-scale musical forms, Mimis Plessas stood out from a very early age for his talent, both in Greece and internationally.

The hits “If I Reject You, My Love,’ ”That Morning in Kifissia,“ ”What Did I Do to You That You’re Drinking?,“ ”So Many Summers,“ ”Who Knows,“ ”The Beads,“ ”But Now, My Love,“ ”Myrsinis Puts on Her White Dress,“ ”I Want You Tonight,“ ”Don’t Talk to the Boy,“ ”When You See the Moon,“ ”Our First Night,“ ”My Girl Is Drunk Tonight,“ ’First Time,” “The Kisses,” “A Deep Silence Fell,” “A Thousand Nights,” “The Boy’s Heart,” “Tonight I’ll Drink the Moon,” “Sunday Dawns,” “Girl, Wait, Let Me Tell You,” “It’s All Yours,” “I’m a Woman of Joy,” “Back in the Old Days,” “First Time,” “I Cried Yesterday,” “My Candle Melted,” “One Moment You Want Me, the Next You Push Me Away,” “The Days of Summer,” “The Sun Found Me,” and many others.

Mimis Plessas was born on October 12, 1924, in Athens. At the age of 15, he became the first piano soloist at what was then the National Radio Foundation. He attended the Leontios High School and subsequently studied at the School of Physics and Mathematics at the University of Athens. He pursued graduate studies in chemistry in the United States, where in 1952, while still a young pianist, he was awarded the first prize in music from the University of Minnesota, and the following year he was ranked fifth among pianists in the U.S. In 1952, he also began composing, and from 1956 onward, he worked as both a conductor and a composer. He received seven international awards (Barcelona in 1960, Warsaw in 1962, Belgium in 1963, Italy (Alto Monte) in 1964, the U.S. in 1965, Paris in 1968, and Tokyo in 1970) and six times in Greece (Athens and Thessaloniki in 1959, 1963, 1964, and 1967). He has conducted major orchestras around the world in performances of his works.

His artistic and compositional work spans all areas of music, including theater, film, radio, and television. He has collaborated with a host of leading singers (Zoe Kouroukli, Nana Mouskouri, Jenny Vanou, Giovanna, Marinella, Rena Koumioti, Yiannis Vogiatzis, Yiannis Poulopoulos, Tolis Voskopoulos, Stratos Dionysiou, and others), many of whom he helped launch to fame through his songs. He was repeatedly honored with platinum and gold records, and his album *O Dromos* (with lyrics by L. Papadopoulos), he indisputably holds the top spot in Greek discography.

Mimis Plessas composed music for film and theater, with more than 100 films and dozens of stage productions to his credit. He also wrote the music and songs for the television series “The Children of Niobe.” He was the producer of the historic radio program “In 30 Seconds,” a trivia show offering various prizes that aired in the 1960s and 1970s. He was also a member of the Hellenic Society of Playwrights, the Hellenic Society of Composers and Lyricists, ERGIM (contemporary music), and many other artistic associations. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Patras (2010) and holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Cornell University in the United States.

In 1993, he composed the music for a play based on George Orwell’s book *Animal Farm*, which was staged at the National Theater and directed by D. Potamitis, and in 1998 he completed the folk opera «Zeus,» with a libretto by Yannis Kalamitsis. In 1999, with a libretto by Iakovos Avlitis, she completed the oratorio «Kosmas the Aetolian, the Saint of the Slaves,» which was performed in 2002 at the Athens Concert Hall. In 2007, his compositions were recorded in the U.S., Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Spain, featuring prominent performers, soloists, and ensembles. In 2009, at the Veakeio Theater, he created a unique concert dedicated to «The Voice,» commissioned by the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP), featuring artists from all genres of music. In 2010, his songs were translated into Turkish by Fide Koksal, and the album «BRIDGES» was released in Greece and Turkey.

In 2011, he gave two concerts as a tribute to his entire body of work, titled «Songs That Know No Season,» featuring 23 performers and actors, musical ensembles, jazz groups, and choirs, at the Badminton Theatre. In 2012, he performed at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall and, later that same year, at the Komotini Concert Hall, featuring prominent performers, a “journey” through his career, from jazz to the songs that graced the big screen. In 2016, to mark the 50th anniversary of his recording debut with the album “Rendezvous in the Air” for the eponymous film by Yannis Dalianidis, he presented his latest complete work, “Transparent Cross,” featuring Thanos Olympios as the lead vocalist. Their album went platinum. In 2022, he founded his official orchestra: the «Mimis Plessas Orchestra.».

Mimis Plessas was honored repeatedly in Greece and abroad, and he received numerous gold and platinum records. In Greece, among many other honors, he was recognized in 2000 for his 50 years of contribution to Greek music and culture by the City of Athens, which awarded him “City’s Gold Medal” at a grand symphonic concert at the Athens Concert Hall, while in 2001 he was awarded the Gold Cross of the Order of the Phoenix for his contribution to culture by the then President of the Republic, Kostis Stephanopoulos. Furthermore, in 2002, he was honored by the Ministry of Culture at the Herodeion for his 50 years in the Greek music scene; in 2004, he was named «Person of the Year» by the Minister of Culture at a ceremony honoring prominent figures for his contribution to world culture, and in 2005 when the Athens Festival commissioned him to perform the opening concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the festival. In 2006, the Academy of Distinguished Personalities honored him for his overall contribution to culture, and in 2007, Patriarch Bartholomew awarded him the Grand Cross of St. Andrew in a specialat the Patriarchate.

He and his wife, Loukila Carrer, had a daughter in 1998. His son from a previous marriage is Antonis Plessas, who is also a composer.

Mimis Plessas, the chemist

Mimis Plessas was not just a charismatic musician. He had also distinguished himself in chemistry, the field in which he had earned a master’s degree.

Mimis Plessas studied at the School of Physics and Mathematics at the University of Athens and moved to the 1950s to the United States, where he completed his doctoral dissertation at Cornell University in New York. His research focused on the study of the protein myelin, a reduction in which is associated with multiple sclerosis.

«While playing the piano in America to help my family, which had been devastated by the Occupation, my good fortune led me to win a music competition at the University of Minneapolis–St. Paul. I decided, however, to exchange the scholarship I was awarded for a scholarship to study chemistry. »That’s how I completed my doctoral dissertation,” he had told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) and journalist Maria Kouzınopoulou in May 2009, when he had collaborated with the Hellenic Multiple Sclerosis Society on a concert at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, in his dual capacity as both a scientist and an artist.

«I may be self-taught when it comes to music, but in the end, the strange thing was how I got into chemistry. I played the piano from a very young age, even in secret from my family,» Mimis Plessas explained to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA), having actively maintained his interest and sensitivity toward scientific topics as well.

Mimis Plessas had been honored repeatedly in Greece and abroad. The most recent occasion was on June 7, 2024, when President Katerina Sakellaropoulou awarded the medal of Grand Commander of the Order of Honor to the composer —as well as to Yannis Markopoulos, posthumously, and Lefteris Papadopoulos—for their multifaceted contributions to Greek music. «With this medal, we honor a figure in Greek music who was recognized and loved like few others,» Ms. Sakellaropoulou said, among other things, about Mimis Plessas.

He, however, had also distinguished himself in the field of chemistry. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Patras (2010) and held a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Cornell University in the United States.

«One of the most memorable moments for me was when I was awarded an honorary doctorate in Chemistry from the University of Patras in April 2010. Chemistry is the pinnacle of the sciences. But music, too, is a kind of chemistry made up of notes that convey emotions. »I love chemistry and music equally,” he told LiFO and journalist Yannis Pantazopoulos five years ago.

Eleni Markou