Few things in live Greek singing are as exciting as his performance of “Now and Forever”. Stavros Harchakos – and Nikos Gatsu – especially when the 83-year-old maestro himself is on stage, at arm’s length from the musicians, guiding them and living with them in every note, in every subtle nuance of this shocking song. Moreover, he, together with his collaborators, still manages to find new ways of interpreting not only this particular one, but also other great works written by him over the decades.

Such a collection of well-made orchestrations was given to us on Monday evening by Xarchakos in the courtyard of the Toplou monastery in Sitia. More than 1,000 spectators, mostly locals but also tourists, gathered near the stone windmill and next to the entrance to the centuries-old monastery, eagerly awaiting the start of the concert. The “warm-up” was performed by the Coast Guard Philharmonic Orchestra while Iro Saya.

The distinguished performer began with a melodic version of Cassiana’s Troparion to remind us that we, too, were in a monastery, before greeting the rest of the band and the conductor himself. Within an hour or so, the small, relatively unassuming expanse of the muddy yard became the center of musical vibrations, the kind that glue you to your seat. “Heavy” songs, mostly ritual, there is almost no love, and Kharchakos, as usual, is adamant to control everything, demanding perfection from everyone. His musicians are, of course, all chosen, most notably Christ Theodoru on the piano and Saya’s clear, sensitive voice on song. Thirty-five to forty years old for the most part, they are the last of those (countless numbers) trained by the maestro, and they play with the precision of well-tuned clocks. He, always next to them, suffers with them, and his passion is immensely transmitted to them and to the public opposite.

“God has given a sign,” the slogan sounds, and the Cretans around us follow their own song with excitement. Nikos Xylouris. In the front row, the same position is occupied by the current abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Ambrose. The program ends solemnly “Hello, your joy Venice”, at the height of the apotheosis. The other morning, some awakened passengers on a flight to Athens were still humming…