Greek Music Express

Throughout the week that ends today, here at GME, we turned to the music of Epirus, a core type of Greek traditional music, and its main instrument: the Greek clarinet or clarino. Vassilis Soukas, Tassos Halkias, Giorgos Mangas, Manos Achalinotopoulos and Vassilis Saleas are the clarino instrumentalists...

Vasilis Saleas is the soloist who brought the Greek clarinet to the greatest music halls around the world. Self-taught, he inspired great composers and has managed for many years to "dress" everything he loves with his favorite musical instrument and its melodies. Vassilis Saleas, who grew up in a house...

Manos Achalinotopoulos considered by critics as the best clarinet performer of the new generation in Greece, was born and grew up in Athens. He started learning the flute and clarinet from a very early age. Manos Achalinotopoulos has travelled -playing clarinet, cawal and flutes- in more than 20 countries...

Tasos Halkias was among the most celebrated performers of Greek music in general, having a vast repertoire and command of many styles, and the music of Epirus in particular. He was born in 1914 near Ioannina in northwestern Greece. His family consisted of musicians going back to the 19th century. Halkias...

Throughout the week that starts today, here at GME, we turn to the music of Epirus, a core exemplification of Greek traditional music, and its main instrument: the Greek clarinet or clarino. The reason for our tribute: the loss of Petroloukas Halkias a few weeks ago, at the age of 90. Vasilis Soukas...

Nilufer is one of the most prominent performers in the history of Turkish pop. After winning prestigious competitions as a pupil, she recorded her first album at the age of just 17. With her expressive and sensual performances, Nilufer dominated the pop scene of the 1970s and the 1980s. Today, we conclude...

Today, here at GME, we continue our exploration of Turkish music with some Greek …spice by turning to Turkish folk music instrumentals. Turkish folk music is a huge field that includes popular music from the Ottoman era and influences from the cultures of Anatolia. As is the case with any complex a...

Today, it is time to celebrate the two Queens of Turkish pop, Ajda Pekkan and Sezen Aksu. There are no words to describe the popularity and status of these two divas; thankfully, their multiple collaborations with Greek artists, such as Antonis Vardis, Thanos Mikroutsikos, Haris Alexiou and Yannis Parios,...

This week, here at GME, we turn to the music of our neighbour, Turkey, and to its multiple interactions with Greek music. Turkish music is multifaceted, rich in tradition and talent, and open to many creative influences. Today, we shall be exploring the discography of my favourite Turkish band, Yeni...

The final part of our trip to Crete takes us on a tour of some of its towns and landmarks, accompanied by traditional songs and dances of the island. A syrtos with lyra? A pidihtos from the village of Anogia? Or a dynamic Pentozalis? Pick your own dance style and immerse yourself into the sheer strength...

Many of Lina’s songs reaffirm the decision of the individual to live, to survive, to positively respond to challenges. Of course, this decision is not without contradictions. Vassilis Papakonstantinou sings: “And I live, always here, and I leave so as to not view the end”. Nikolakopoulou’s call for lif...

From Christiana to Dimitra Galani, from Margarita Zorbala to Tania Tsanaklidou and from Eleftheria Arvanitaki to Dionysis Theodosis, the greatest voices of our country served the aesthetics, the emotions and the images projected by the art of Lina Nikolakopoulou. Today, our week-long tribute to the...

Our track list, today, contains songs with references to lonely evenings, goodnight kisses and a night in Morocco, all written by Lina Nikolakopoulou. Slow songs, situated between melancholy and romance, that carry all the desires and the rejections associated with the night. Elli Paspala, Christianna,...

Sea of Ionia, Zeibekiko of the sea, Summer dreams, The waves have bloomed, Tango Piraeus… The titles of so many instrumentals by composer Michalis Koumbios reveal his fascination with voyages and ports, seas and waves. Melodies of emotional intensity, images that invite us to travel and dream. Koumbios, a...

In his career, vocalist Costas Karalis registered important collaborations with leading composers such as Yannis Spanos and Michalis Terzis. A red thread that runs through much of his repertoire is the motif of the sea, the seamen and the ships, the winds and the waves, the passion for voyages and departures....

Our track list today comes from three main pools, all associated with the sea, with endless voyages and hidden ports. Firstly, we will be appreciating the numerous songs about the sea that Lefteris Papadopoulos wrote and Manos Loizos composed, most of which are included in the album Thalassographies....

Thanasis Nikopoulos was born in Lamia in March 1953. He began his musical studies at the Municipal Conservatory of Lamia and then studied piano, flute and advanced theory at the Municipal Conservatory of Athens. He is a graduate of the Law School of the University of Athens and a doctoral candidate...

The entire week that ends today, here at GME, was dedicated to the beautiful island of Crete and to its exquisite musical past and present. At the heart of this unique genre lies the Cretan lyra, the island’s most emblematic musical instrument. Our track list contains special songs and instrumentals, a...