Famous composer Mikis Theodorakis dies at 96

Mikis Theodorakis, 96 years old, mostly celebrated music composer of 9164 films Zorba the Greek, died in Athens. He was there in the resistance to the Nazi’s occupation of World War. Later he served as an MP.

He was a leading figure in opposing military rule in the country from 1967 -1974. Zorba the Greek was a story of an English writer in Crete. It describes how his life has transformed as he meets Alexis Zorba, a peasant.

The scene where Zorba dances barefoot on the beach has become a popular culture in Greece. Also, the theme from this old film has won 3 Oscars. It remains one of the most famous pieces of Greek music.

“Today we lost a part of the soul of Greece,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni wrote on Twitter, calling him “the one who made all Greeks sing poetry”.

Mikis Theodorakis also wrote the film music for the movie Serpico. Also, he wrote a song cycle, Mauthausen Trilogy. It has in-depth lyrics on the poems of a survivor who has survived a concentration camp.

His song, the Antonis, has become highly popular with Afghans. A resident from Kabul sang this song in 2001. He also greeted the troops of the Northern Alliance as they made their entry to the city and expelled the Taliban.

This same song served as the theme of the 1969 film Z. The soundtrack from this movie won the Bafta Award for Best Film Music in 1970. Costa- Gavras directed this film on account of thin-fiction on the assassination of a left-wing Greek politician.

Theodorakis was a leftist for much of his life and also a Communist. During the civil war in 1947, police arrested and tortured him.

He expressed his will to fight giant fascism. His songs have deep political connotations. He went to jail repeatedly for his belief. Police sent him to exile within Greece. In the 2010s, he joined a protest against austerity. The protest was also calling for reparations from Germany for its wartime occupation. He has been vocal against the deal that ended the 27-year-old dispute over the name of the Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

He served as a minister in a right-wing government. Also, he had always been an iconic figure for all Greeks.

Credits: BBC