‘Our Mikis has gone’: Zorba the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis dies at 96
- ‘Today we lost a part of Greece’s soul,’ said Culture Minister Lina Mendoni
- Theodorakis’ tunes gained widespread popularity, becoming anthems of the left and earning the disapproval of the right, meaning they were often banned
Composer Mikis Theodorakis, whose infectious, earthy score for the film Zorba the Greek helped foster a sunny, carefree image of his country for millions of tourists, died on Thursday, aged 96.
As news of his passing swept through the nation, parliament held a moment of silence.
“Today we lost a part of Greece’s soul. Mikis Theodorakis, Mikis the teacher, the intellectual, the radical, our Mikis has gone,” said Culture Minister Lina Mendoni.
A towering man with a brooding look and a shock of wavy hair, Theodorakis evoked a progressive, democratic vision of Communism and of the world through his music.
But his political struggles, including imprisonment and torture for his leftist views, reflected a different side of Greece rarely seen by visitors.
His compositions ranged from the soundtrack to the 1964 film – an international hit starring Anthony Quinn as the lovable rogue who dances barefoot on a Cretan beach – to the thumping intensity of Romiosini (Greekness) a series of rousing songs of identity and resistance.