Greek Culture Ministry Declares 2025 the Year of Mikis Theodorakis

Mikis Theodorakis. Photos source: Finos Film

The Greek Ministry of Culture recently honored the late, renowned composer Mikis Theodorakis by designating 2025 as a year dedicated to celebrating his life and work, marking the 100th anniversary of his birth.

According to the ministry, the initiative not only honors his legacy but also offers a chance to reassess his life and revive his work through a rich program of cultural events.

“In approaching his work, the state acknowledges the duty to highlight its many facets: the composer, the fighter, the politician, the thinker, and the citizen,” Culture Minister Lina Mendoni said, adding that his life and work constitute an indelible cultural heritage exemplifying the universality of Hellenism.

The life of Mikis Theodorakis

Mikis Theodorakis. Photos source: Finos Film

Mikis Theodorakis was a unique figure in Greek modern history, blending personal creativity and artistic passion with active political engagement.

He was first introduced to music in the small countryside towns where his civil servant father was transferred. There, thanks to his religious grandmother and clergymen, he encountered Byzantine rhythms in the churches, where he even sang.

Aspiring to expand his musical knowledge, Theodorakis began his studies at the Athens Conservatoire in Athens, later continuing in Paris.

Theodorakis demonstrated equal dedication in his political activities. During the Greek Civil War, his beliefs led to his exile to Ikaria and later to Makronisos, where he emerged as a prominent figure in Greek communism.

Mikis Theodorakis with Greek actress Melina Merkouri . Photos source: Finos Film

In the early years of the Junta dictatorship, he organized the Patriotic Anti-dictatorship Front before being arrested, imprisoned, and deported. After his release from prison in 1970, he gave concerts worldwide, significantly contributing to raising global awareness against the junta.

Following the fall of the dictatorship, he was re-elected to Parliament with the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and later with New Democracy, serving as a minister in Konstantinos Mitsotakis’ government before retiring from active politics.

Throughout his career, Theodorakis collaborated with many renowned artists of his time, including the Beatles, Shirley Bassey, Joan Baez, and Edith Piaf. He was also awarded the BAFTA Award for Best Original Music for the movie “Z”.

He passed away on September 2, 2021, from a heart attack after many years of heart problems.

“He consistently and passionately served the values of freedom and justice, but above all the unity of the Greeks,” underlined the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his farewell, noting that Mikis Theodorakis “transformed music from an individual experience into a mandate for collective action.”