Customer Reviews

Hadjidakis: For a Little White Seashell; Rhythmology, Six Popular Pictures; Ionian Suite

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Most people don't realize that Manos Hadjidakis (1925-1994), the composer of the famous tune 'Never on Sunday' (for which he won an Oscar) from the movie of the same name, was a serious composer. He was very active in post-war Greece until his death at age 69. He wrote ballets, film scores, incidental music for theater works and popular songs. Hadjidakis maintained that he wrote his serious pieces for himself and his less serious ones to make a living: nevertheless his melodic talent was so abundant that one can hardly distinguish a difference in quality. He commented that aside from Greek music his major inspirations were the music of Satie and Prokofiev; one can certainly hear those influences in this CD of mostly short, mostly light piano pieces.

'For a Little White Seashell' is his Opus 1 from 1947-48 and is a collection of ten pieces, none lasting much more than two minutes, that were also orchestrated and used for a ballet. One of them, 'Conversation with Prokofiev', could have indeed been written by that master, reminding one of some of his 'Visions Fugitives,' with the disjunct melodies and sweet-and-sour harmonies. 'Six Popular Pictures, Op. 5' (1949-50) are based on six popular Greek melodies, so-called rebetikas, a kind of urban Greek blues. One can hear similarities to the slow and slithery or repetitive rhythms of 'Never on Sunday', combined with nostalgic near-Eastern sounding blue notes. The suite was used as the basis for a ballet in 1951.

'Ionian Suite, Op. 7' (1952-53) is a five movement suite of light-hearted, spare one- or two-minute long jeux d'esprit which Hadjidakis himself compared to those of the still-underrated Catalan composer Federico Mompou. The don't take themselves seriously, but are written with immense craft masquerading as simplicity. And the music's Greek accent is unmistakable. 'Rhythmology, Op. 26' (1969-71) was written in New York where Hadjidakis had come to prepare a Broadway musical, 'Illya Darling' based on 'Never on Sunday'. This is his last piano work. It consists of six pairs of pieces. The first of each pair is in an unusual rhythm (5/8, 7/8, 9/8, 11/8, 13/8 and 15/8 respectively); the rhythms arise from the melodic curves of the pieces and are hypnotic. The second piece of each pair is based on an ancient Greek (Byzantine) dance in slow 4/4 time, the 'hasapiko'. And each hasapiko has a dedication (to Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Aquarius, the Moon, and Virgo respectively). The suite was dedicated to Hadjidakis' friend, the Nobel prize-winning Greek poet George Seferis George Seferis: Collected Poems who had just died.

This is unpretentious music whose effect, on me at least, was one of hypnotic calm leavened with occasional flashes of humor and toe-tapping. Greek pianist Danae Kara, a Juilliard trained musician who has made a specialty of the music of such Greek composers as Skalkottas, Kalomiris, Theodorakis and the great conductor/composer Dimitri Mitropoulos, bewitches with her subtle phrasing and rhythmic aptness. She is given lifelike sound on this disc, part of Naxos' 'Greek Classics' series. It was originally recorded and released in 1996 on Agorà Musica.

Scott Morrison

I bought this CD solely for the Six Popular Pictures on it. I heard these on the Concert Programme in New Zealand one night and loved them. I tried to get just the Six Popular Pictures as a gift for my son in Ireland, but the only way I could buy them was to buy the CD with all the other items (which I don't like at all!!!!). Maybe my son will. But the Six Popular Pictures are superb.

I just love this CD. Might have to buy a second after I wear this one out.