Manos Hatzidakis - Introduction

Greek self taught composer, (born Xanthi 1925 – Athens 1994). With origin from Crete he started in 1944 composing music for theater acts. In 1948 in the “Theater of Arts” of Carolos Koun he gave a lecture about the “rebetika songs” . He composed music for ancient Greek drama, as well as incidental music for the contemporary repertory: Medea (1956) Women in Ecclesia (1956), Birds (1959), Othello (1957), A Streetcar Named Desire (1948), Blood Wedding (1948), Eurydice (1960). Manos Hadjidakis composed music for eighty Greek and foreign films: Stella (1955) The Rapist (1956), America-America (1963), Blue (1967), Honey-moon (1973), as well as music for two documentary films by J. Cousteau. In 1960 he was awarded an Oscar for his music in Never on Sunday by Jules Dassin. From 1966-72 he lived in New York, where he recored some of his important works Rhythmology (for piano), Magnus Eroticus (cycle of songs based on poems by ancient and modern writers), Reflections (songs influenced by the atmosphere of the New York music scene).
Manos Hadjidakis, other activities: he founded and directed the Athens Experimental Orchestra (1964-1971, the cafe-theatre called "Polytropon" (1972), the Music Festivals in Anogia, Crete (1978), the Musical August in Heraclion Crete (1979), the Musical Contests in Corfu (1981), and also, the cultural magazine "Tetarto" (1982), the record company "Sirius" (1985), the symphonic ensemble "Orchestra of Colours" (1989), and he directed the Third Programme of Greek National Radio (1975-81). He passed away in 1994.

Introduction tracks
1. Flery Dandonaki - Pame mia volta sto feggari
2. Giorgios Moutsios, Nana Moushouri - Ena Mitho
3. Elli Paspala - To pelago einai vathi
4. Melina Merkouri - Agapi pou egines dikopo mahairi
5. Grigoris Bithikotsis - H Kyra
6. Manos Hatzidakis - Parthena tis geitonias sou