Songs by composers from Asia Minor were included in the program presented by soprano Mina Polikhronou, mesophonist Elena Maragu and pianist Dimitris Giakas at the Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall on December 14, 2022. At this “Friends of Music” event of the association, well-known songs by Petros Petridis, Manolis Kalomiris, Giannis Konstantinidis and Giorgos Ponyridis, as well as lesser-known compositions by Konstantinos Nikolopoulos, Demosthenes Milanakis and Timoteus Xanthopoulos were performed. The evening featured songs from the so-called “logia” music, excerpts from operas such as “Anatoly” Kalomiris, and from operettas such as “Imperial Violets” by Alexandros Albertis, as well as popular light songs such as the tango “Something pulls “. I’m next to you” Michalis Soyul.

This diversity made it possible to appreciate many different things. First of all, of course, he understood how much Greek music, serious and light, owes to people from the great centers of great Hellenism, namely the cities of Asia Minor. Chronologically, the oldest song heard was that of Konstantinos Agathophronos Nikolopoulos, who was born in Smyrna in 1786. In 1806 he settled with his family in Paris and was the only Greek student of the famous Belgian musicologist, music teacher and composer François-Joseph Fetis. who even included his name in his Universal Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, published in 1834.

Greek music, serious and light, owes much to the composers of Asia Minor.

An important and relatively rare feature was that Polychronou and Maragu clearly adapted their interpretation according to the genre and style of each song. They performed the classical songs with restraint and courtesy, adopting an operatic style for their respective passages, becoming more expressive and stage-like in the lighter songs. Mina Polychronou’s clear articulation and tonal accuracy were especially appreciated in songs like Ponirides’ original “Anevika sta Agrafa”, demanding on vocals and even more difficult if one wants to articulate the lyrics intelligibly. The nuances with which she enriched her performance gave a special character to each of the five Kalomiris songs that she performed. The warm timbre of Elena Maraghou was especially appreciated in Constantinidis’ Five Songs of Anticipation, based on the lyrics by Rabindranath Tagore, which should be heard more often in solo concerts, along with other more famous songs.

Of particular note is the accompaniment of Dimitris Jakas. He is one of the most experienced pianists – accompanists for singers, as well as a constant friend of the songs of Greek composers, whom he has consistently supported for decades. The magnificence of his accompaniment is matched by a sense of style in each piece, and the innate musicality with which he forms phrases emphasizes these musical miniatures and supports or even guides the respective singer.