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Theodorakis - Chronology (IX)
Music and Politics 1974-1988
by Guy Wagner and Asteris Koutoulas
Based on Ole Wahl Olsen
Structure and pictures: Guy Wagner
1974
His parents haven't seen him for 7 years
24.07. Theodorakis flies back to Greece and is given a hero's welcome in Athens.
01.08. Greece restores 1952 constitution.
First concerts in Greece since 1967
10.10. First concert of Theodorakis in Greece after seven years.
08.11. Elections for a new parliament: Karamanlis gets the absolute majority. Theodorakis,who called for support for Karamanlis against a new dictatorship (»It's Karamanlis or the tanks«), is defeated.
08.12. Referendum: Greece votes to abolish monarchy and leaves the military organisation of NATO.
1975
Spring: Theodorakis starts a great concert tour in Greece.
Trial of the Junta bosses
August-December: Trial of the authors of the coup d'Etat in 1967. The heads of the junta are sentenced to death. Odysseus Angelis commits suicide in jail.
1976
All seem forgotten: Theodorakis is victim of numerous attacks. But his own inverventions are also very harsh.
1977
Long concert tour in Europe by Theodorakis and his singers.
Summer: Theodorakis rallies to Euro-socialism and organises a symposium in Crete on: »Socialism and Culture«.
Theodorakis conducts »Axion Esti«
August: A Theodorakis Festival at the Lycabettos Hill in Athens presents all the composer's great works from 1960 to 1977. Premiere of »Margarita« and »Ta Lyrica«.
10.11. Parliamentary Elections. Andreas Papandreou's PASOK and KKE (Exterior Communist Party) are successful.
1978
Theodorakis suggests that the whole left rallies around KKE.
Candidate for Athens
15.10. Theodorakis is independent candidate for KKE at the municipal elections in Athens. His score is 16 %.
1979
Odysseas Elytiswins the Nobel Prize for Literature. »Axion Esti « is hailed, and Theodorakis tours with the work.
1980
Theodorakis publishes a declaration of solidarity with the French Communist Party. He ends his relations with Euro-socialism.
Karamanlis is elected President of the Republic.
October: Theodorakis leaves Greece for voluntary exile in Paris, furious about a slanderous campaign against him.
1981
01.01. Greece becomes the 10th Member State of the European Community.
January: Theodorakis finishes »Canto General« (13 parts), and his 2nd and 3rd Symphonies.
End of March: The complete »Canto General« receives its first performance in East-Berlin.
Spring: Concert tour with »Canto General«
May: François Mitterrand, the new President of France, invites Theodorakis to the ceremony of investiture.
Summer: »Canto General« is performed in Latin America (Cuba, Nicaragua) with thousands of singers. A triumph for Melina Mercouri
18.10. PASOK wins the elections. Melina Mercouri and Theodorakis are elected. Melina Mercouri becomes Minister of Culture.
1982
05.02. First performance of the Concerto pour piano (1958) and the Second Symphony in the »Palast der Republik« in East Berlin. Soloist: Cyprien Katsaris.
29.04. First performance of the Third Symphony at the »Komische Oper« in East Berlin. Theodorakis, suffering from of old wounds inflicted in Makronissos, is confined to a wheel chair.
Theodorakis with Cyprien Katsaris in Echternach
09.07. Mikis Theodorakis conducts the Piano Concerto and the Second Symphony at the Festival International Echternach Luxembourg.
Theodorakis at the »Gewandhaus«
16.10. First performance of »Axion Esti« in German at the »Gewandhaus« in Leipzig.
1983
23.02. First performance of the »Passion of the Sadduceans« at the »Metropol-Theater«, East Berlin; conductor: Hans-Peter Frank.
Theodorakis is awarded the Lenin Prize for Peace 1983.
Maurice Béjart: »Seven Greek Dances«
April: »Thalassa Mare Nostrum« and »Seven Greek Dances«, two ballets by Maurice Béjart, include songs by Theodorakis.
21.05. First performance of the »Liturgy No.2« by the Dresdner Kreuzchor, conducted by Martin Flämig.
1984
Mikis Theodorakis and Yannis Ritsos in Dresden
19.05. First performance of the Seventh Symphony (»Spring Symphony«) during the Music Festival of Dresden. Yannis Ritsos and Mikis Theodorakis attend the performance.
1985
29.03. Christos Sartzetakis, the »little judge« who sentenced the murderers of Lambrakis to jail, becomes the new President of the Hellenic Republic.
02.06. Parliamentary elections. PASOK keeps the absolute majority.
Dmitri Kitaenko conducts Theodorakis
29.07. 60th birthday of the composer. In Eleusis, Dmitri Kitaenko conducts his Spring Symphony.
1986
Theodorakis distances himself from KKE.
1987
With Turkish composer and singer Zülfü Livaneli, Theodorakis initiates the Greek-Turkish Friendship Association and publishes the first volume of his autobiography: »The Ways of the Archangel«.
Loukas Karytinos conducts Theodorakis
03.05. First performance of the Fourth Symphony, »Choral Odes«, in Athens. Loukas Karytinos conducts.
1988
30.01. First Summit meeting since 1978 between a Greek and a Turkish Prime Minister. Andreas Papandreou and Turgut Özal shake hands in Davos. Theodorakis has negotiated this encounter.
After a glorious performance
06.08. First performance of the ballet »Zorba il Greco«, in the Arena of Verona. Choreography by Lorca Massine, Mikis Theodorakis conducting, Vladimir Vassiliev dancing Zorba: The ballet is a tremendous success. Since the premiere, it has become the greatest sucess in ballet of the last fifty years.
07.11. The banker Yorgos Koskotas causes an enormous financial and political scandal. He flees and makes revelations, which centre on the government and especially the Greek Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou.
© Guy Wagner & Asteris Koutoulas. All rights reserved