Mikis Theodorakis: Zorbas Suite-Ballet

Even though he is one of the more famous contemporary composers of his era, Mikis Theodorakis's symphonic output is relatively unknown to the audiences. In an irony of history, his symphonic and operatic wok has remained hidden for years behind his personal reputation, his political activism and his songs. As parts of this output have come to the light in recent years, they have astonished discerning music lovers all over the world. As a composer, Theodorakis served music through a unique quality whose chief elements comprise an overwhelming wealth of melodic ideas, majestic rhythmic suppleness and freedom that even Stravinsky expressed admiration for the tetrachords of the then young composer. But, above all, it is the transformation of music into a deeply moral force that is characteristic of Theodorakis art; the emotions that it inspires create a powerful ennobling force of the type prescribed by the Romantic artistic ideal.