Greece: Day 7- Showtime, Part 1

I decided that today I would sleep in. This was the day I would meet legendary Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis with Kevork and Iakovos Kolanian. Today was my big break. It was finally here. Knowing that, I kept my sleep deprived ass in bed until about 11am and took my own sweet time getting up for the day. While Iakovos and Kevork discussed the final aspects of the Barrios CD in the studio, I ambled downstairs and grabbed some breakfast. We all say down together and eat, excited to be meeting Greece's VIP in Theodorakis. Iakovos and I went to the post office to pick up some CD's I had sent him from the States and we calmly discussed how we would approach our meeting at 5pm. First, we would introduce ourselves and then ask if Theodorakis would like to listen to Shoror: Armenian Folk Music for Guitar. We were only alloted 40 minutes.

The first question I asked Iakovos was how he was able to get this private meeting in the Maestro's home in the first place. The answer was simple, he told Margarita Theodorakis, Mikis's daughter that there was a record label representative and a producer interested in releasing his works in the near future on Pomegranate. Also, Iakovos told Margarita, an old friend of his, that he would be performing her fathers works in the upcoming 2006 tour. Given Iakovos and Margarita knew each other well, the meeting was booked last minute where others would not be able to even close. Connections it seemed were key, and they were on our side.

At around 2:30pm, we left the Gerakas neighborhood of Athens and hopped on the Metro and got off at the Monasteraki stop. I made sure I had a few copies of Shoror in hand. One for Margarita, and the other one for Maestro Theodorakis. The climb to Romanos Publishing, Margarita Theodorakis's company who main mission is to publish and promote the works of her father was San Francisco-esque. This was the one time wearing fancy leather shoes did not work. In any case, we finally arrived at Romanos at 3:30pm where we were warmly greeted by staff members. We saw the Impresario Moraitis there with the Ambassador of Uruguay trying to book a concert there. We also saw a Austrailian-Greek woman trying to pitch the title of a new book she was publishing on Theodorakis. Everywhere you looked in the office, there were picture of the Maestro in different setting and eras. Some black and white, some color. The staff of 8 or 9 were buzzing around the office working on something. Finally, Margarita wisked us into her private office and she and Iakovos started speaking in Greek. Looking just like her father, the near 50ish woman had a steely resolve with a piercing look about her. Despite that, she could not have been more friendly toward us.

As the guardian of her fathers work and legacy, Margarita was doing the job well. Beautiful CD's, books, scores, and literature on her legendary father were scattered about the office. She immediately ordered one of her staff to give us a care package of CD's and scores to Mikis's works. I was given a beautiful hard bound entire score to Zorba the Greek, the Theodorakis Rhapsody for Guitar and Orchestra, as well as some special CD's. It was a very generous gesture. Somehow I felt that Iakovos had maybe exaggerated my stature in the music business in the US. Even so, it was nice to be treated warmly by a legend in her own right. Finally, I was asked if I wanted to bring the Mikis Theodorakis Orchestra to the US for a tour. I had to decline knowing that it would take about $100,000 to pull something like that off. Last time I checked, I didn't have that lying around. But, I appreciated the thought. Iakovos had defaintely done his job.

As our meeting with Margarita ended on a happy note, she expressed her admiration for the Armenian people and felt that we were very similar to Greeks. She also mentioned meeting Atom Egoyan during his latest promo blitz of Ararat. She was quite moved by the movie. You could tell she had the feistyness of her father, but with such a remarkable amount of grace. The Theodorakis legacy is in good hands. As we said goodbye, she gave us directions to her fathers house- just underneath the Acropolis in a residential area. Iakovos's friendship with Margarita was over 20 year and she was gracious in setting an appointment with her father. With our goody bags of music, scores, and DVD's in hand, the three of us trudged up the hills of Athens to meet the Grand Greek.

To me, it still seemed like a practical joke. Were we really going to be seeing Mikis Theodorakis? The further we went up the hilly streets of Athens toward his home, the more confident I became that this was really going to happen. We found his home and were about 15 minutes early. If you looked up from Theodorakis's doorstep, the Acropolis was in full view in the daylight with an unobstructed sightline. We took some pictures and actually fought off some nerves before laughing that this would be a once in a lifetime experience. However, I still knew that this was too good to be true and that he may not be home, or maybe Theodorakis was just not feeling well enough to see us. As the time ticked closer to 5pm, I had my business card in hand and CD's firmly in grasp. Iakovos, Kevork, and I looked at each other and just paused before breaking out into spontaneious laughter. The journey that started late 2003 when Kevork suggested signing Iakovos had taken us minutes away from meeting the most important man in Greece. Culturally, politically, musically, Mikis Theodorakis was about as good as it gets in Hellas. It would be a landmark moment for all of us.

As the clock stuck 5pm, we aligned ourselves in front of Theodorakis's front door and Iakovos rang the doorbell. After about 10 seconds, the housekeeper opened up the door and let us in. Iakovos did all the talking and for the first time I could remember, I was actually nervous for some reason. She ushered us into Theodorakis's parlor and offered us up some drinks. I looked around the room at the wealth of music, scores, and history located in this room. The piano in one corner, the stereo in the other, the place was beautiful. The housekeeper came back 5 minutes later and told us that the secretary had not seen any meeting for 5pm? AHA, I knew it, something was going to go wrong and we would be ushered out of the house. But no, Iakovos calmly called Margarita and within a few minutes, the secretary was also on the line. Everything was sorted out and the meeting was confirmed.

It was going to happen. After about 20 minutes, I was still very nervous. Theodorakis had not shown up yet. His house was three stories and had a clear view of the Acroplois from his window. Suddenly, we heard a male voice outside the red French parlor doors talking to the housekeeper. He was here. Suddenly, the red doors opened and a tall, distinguished, large man in a red shirt towered over us and cracked a smile. He said in accented English, "welcome to my home, please take a seat". Actually, we leapt out of our seats and lined up to shake Mikis Theodorakis's hand and offer up the usual thank you's.

I was in absolute awe.
For more information on Mikis Theodorakis, please go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikis_Theodorakis

Photo by Kevork Imirzian.