The famous composer combined rebetiko singing with fado, tango and blues in his big concert on Monday, September 2.
Famous composer Minos Matsas On September 2, Herodeo will present a concert of songs of wounded pure and sensitive souls combining rebetiko with fado, tango and blues.
The composer says about it:
“Manos Hadjidakis said, “Rebetiko only once existed, operating illegally somewhere nearby in inaccessible and remote sanctuaries. It was also present when it began to express the liturgical, post-war passions and experiences of an anonymous, disaster-stunned, betrayed crowd who needed and could not find romantic connection and a desire to escape from their own reality again. , he couldn’t…”.
Likewise, Portugal’s fado, Argentina’s tango, and America’s blues stem from the social, political, and cultural experiences of their peoples and emerged as a means of expression through people’s efforts to face life’s challenges. From the search for love and loss to resistance to social injustice and expressions of spiritual quest, these musical genres share a common tradition of originality and revolution and express timeless values that inspire and move listeners around the world.
My relationship with Rebetiko is very strong, almost mobile. Famous rebetiko singer Takis Binis said: “If there was no Minos Matsas, there would be no rebetiko song.” Of course, he was talking about my grandfather, who was the director of Odeon-Parlophone, and who, despite the contradictory climate of the time, was the one who dared to publish first the songs of Markos Vamvakaris and then his works. all composers of the rebetiko period. At the same time, he sang “Minore tis avgis”, “Antonis the boatman the seretis”, “You are my man”, etc. wrote the lyrics of the most beautiful rebetika songs.
Personally, as a composer, I trace the roots of my music to this unique original genre of music.
So I choose some of my favorite rebetika songs, give them my own character, deconstruct and reconstruct them, often adding musical parts born from them. With one main condition. I take what I feel as the essence and present it to the public in a completely different way.”
On a musical journey through space and time, the figures of Vamvakaris, Tsitsanis, Papaioannou and others emerge along with Robert Johnson, Amalia Rodrigues and Carlos Gardel on a fantastic journey to the banks of the Mississippi, Lisbon and Buenos Aires.
The concert is accompanied by 15 Greek and foreign masters. Costas Triantafyllidis, Dimitra Moraiti, as well as Lina Cardoso Rodrigues, Debora Russ and Eric B. Turner sing.