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Genre
Entekhno — Greek art song. The album draws exclusively on compositions by Mikis Theodorakis, setting texts by Greece's major twentieth-century poets — Odysseas Elytis, Yannis Ritsos, and Theodorakis himself — to music, in performances dominated by Farantouri's deep, dramatically charged contralto and the distinctive sound of bouzouki, guitar, piano, and flute.
Release
The original LP was released in 1980 by Pläne GmbH, Germany, under the primary title Lieder aus Griechenland, with the alternate title Ligo Akoma appearing on the back cover. The Spanish edition, Cantos desde Grecia, is an international release for the Hispanic market.
Production
The ensemble that recorded the album comprised Sarantis Kassaras on piano, Georgios Papadopoulos on bouzouki, Nikos Maniatis on guitar, and Wolf Burbat on flute — a mixed group of Greek and German musicians consistent with the album's hybrid origin.
Reception
The album has been described by critics as an ideal introduction to the songs of Mikis Theodorakis, drawing exclusively on the most celebrated cycles from the composer's peak creative period in the 1960s. A German-language review noted that Farantouri's "fresh singing shows the artist at the height of her art," and called the album "unreservedly recommended as an introduction to the songs of Mikis Theodorakis."
Maria Farantouri
Maria Farantouri (born November 28, 1947, Athens, Greece) is a Greek contralto singer, political activist, and former member of the European Parliament, widely regarded as the foremost interpreter of the entekhno repertoire and, in particular, of the songs of Mikis Theodorakis. She began singing as a teenager in the progressive choir of the Society of Greek Music and caught the attention of Theodorakis, who became her mentor and primary artistic partner. During the Greek military junta of 1967–1974, she recorded protest songs in exile in Europe alongside Theodorakis, performing at concerts of international solidarity across the continent. In 1971, she recorded songs by Theodorakis alongside Australian guitarist John Williams, including settings of poems by Federico García Lorca. She has since collaborated with composers Manos Hatzidakis, Eleni Karaindrou, and Vangelis, and has recorded songs by Pablo Neruda, Bertolt Brecht, and George Gershwin in multiple languages.
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