Greek composer's works come to China for the first time

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, a special concert featuring his lyrical works toured three Chinese cities from July 29 to Aug 2, marking the first time that the esteemed composer's works were performed in China.

The tour included Shanghai and Beijing and was held to honor Theodorakis' wish to have his works performed in China, a country he never got a chance to visit, before he died in 2021.

The concert featured renowned Greek singer Tania Tsanaklidou, vocalist and musician Maria Papageorgiou, and six other Greek musicians, who performed songs written by Theodorakis. To help audiences better understand his music, song lyrics were translated into Chinese and projected onto screens.

The two women performed the illustrious composer's songs, with arrangements by Papageorgiou, following her creative partnership with Theodorakis on the album Correspondence. A portion of the performance honored Nobel Prize-winning Greek poets George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis, who inspired Theodorakis.