Mikis Theodorakis & Zülfü Livaneli - 5 Songs Pot-Pourri (Together, Berlin, 04.05.1997)

Mikis Theodorakis & Zülfü Livaneli - TOGETHER!
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin/Germany
May 4th, 1997
With the musicians Nevzat Akpinar, Göksun Cavdar, Stefan Dohanetz, Halil Karaduman, Lakis Karnezis, Ferhat Livaneli, Wolfgang Musick, Dietrich Petzold, Henning Schmiedt, Grigoris Tsistoudis, Jannis Zotos, Thanassis Zotos
Choir of Deutsche Oper Berlin (chorus master: Steffen Schubert)
Produced by Asteris Kutulas
Filmed by George Theodorakis
Video produced by Asti Music
TOGETHER album available at Tropical Records
*****
When Mikis called me in September 1996 and proposed a joint European tour with Zülfü Livaneli, I was immediately convinced of the necessity and potential success of such an undertaking. At that time, the conflict over the Greek Aegean island of Imia had been dominating the daily events in both countries. Through their planned tour, these two artist-friends aimed to draw attention to the interests of the silent majority - "the ordinary people in Turkey and Greece who have long since buried ancient hatred. Their genuine concerns revolve around social progress, cultural development, and national prosperity, which can only be ensured through peace and cooperation," as Mikis emphasized in a statement about the tour.
However, I was taken aback by the difficulties that emerged during the organization of these concerts. The media showed little initial interest, and the grassroots reaction was skeptical. This highlighted the complexity and importance of the Greek-Turkish dialogue. Nevertheless, just a few days before the first concert in Berlin, the floodgates opened as the significance of this initiative was recognized and acknowledged. The press finally "discovered" the theme, and the German political leadership began supporting this attempt to bring two cultures closer together. Meetings between the artists and politicians from various parliamentary groups (CDU, SPD, FDP, Green Alliance) took place in Bonn, along with a reception by the German Foreign Minister, Mr. Klaus Kinkel.
The sold-out concert in Berlin on May 4th, 1997, unfortunately turned out to be the last joint performance by the two artists. Mikis had to withdraw from the remainder of the tour due to health issues and returned to Athens.
From the outset, the truly remarkable aspect of this production, in my view, was its artistic quality. Here, the two most prominent "singer-songwriters" from Greece and Turkey united on stage. Zülfü performed his legendary songs, spanning two decades, while Mikis interpreted his Zeibekika-songs, made famous in the early sixties by Grigoris Bithikotsis, showcasing the musical and cultural relatedness of Greek and Turkish traditions.
Asteris Kutulas
www.asteris-kutulas.de
#Mikis100 #MikisTheodorakis