Lefteris Papadopoulos and Mimis Plessas were honored by the President of the Republic

In a special ceremony at the Presidential Palace, Yannis Markopoulos was also posthumously honored

In a special ceremony held in the morning at the Presidential Palace, the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, awarded the decoration of the Senior Brigadier of the Order of Honor to Yiannis Markopoulos (posthumously), Lefteris Papadopoulos and Mimi Plessas for their many contributions to Greek music.

During her address, Mrs. Sakellaropoulou expressed her joy at honoring today a lyricist and two composers who stamped Greek music, not only with their songs but also with their work in the field of symphonic, jazz, music for theater and cinema.

Referring to his great offer Yannis Markopoulos he emphasized that he “looked for inspiration in the richness of our musical tradition and transformed its ethos into a modern, multi-dimensional, completely personal idiom. He proposed a “return to the roots” not as a sterile copying of rhythms, patterns and timbres, but as a lively and fruitful dialogue with the past. He included traditional Greek instruments such as the lyre and the santouri in the symphony orchestra, he utilized the interpretative simplicity and purity of great performers of our traditional song.

The shocking cycles of his songs “Chronikos”, “Citizenship”, “Term”, which were written during the dictatorship, they conjured up the democratic feeling of our people and inspired the anti-dictatorship student movement. It is enough to remember that the first big demonstration against the junta, in May 1972, started with the concert of Yannis Markopoulos at the Sporting stadium. Bypassing the censorship with tricks, overcoming the obstacles and interventions of the military power, Yannis Markopoulos expressed with his songs a resounding request for freedom, turning them into a vehicle of opposition to tyranny and contributing to the struggle for the restoration of democracy. We honor him, even posthumously, for his ethos, his indomitable competitiveness and his multifarious contribution to Greek music, which he served with inexhaustible vitality».

The medal of Yannis Markopoulos was received by his daughter, Lena Markopoulou, thanking Mrs. Sakellaropoulou for this great honor.

Addressing to Mimi Plessa spoke of a “composer, orchestra director and pianist, with international distinctions, a pioneer of jazz musical expression in Greece at a time when the genre was treated with reservation in our country, he has traveled a brilliant path in singing, infusing the groundbreaking, daring spirit of to great hits that became classics. A prolific composer for theater and cinema, founder of the National Radio Foundation orchestra in 1957, prize-winner at numerous Greek and foreign festivals, experimented with all musical genres, excelled at international events, was repeatedly honored by the state and remains an inveterate creator, always on the ramparts. With this award, we honor a personality of Greek music, who was recognized and loved like few others».

Speaking of him Lefteri Papadopoulos, lyricist and poet, writer and journalist, Ms. Sakellaropoulou pointed out that we owe him the words to many of the most beautiful songs of our time. As he said, “grafted modern song with genuine populism, unusual poetry, immediacy and warmth that touches the souls of all of us. Lyrical, austere, and above all simple, he honored an entire generation that lived in deprivation but never stopped dreaming, highlighted the beauty of small things, praised love and friendship with rare authenticity. He collaborated with our leading composers and marked half a century of creation with his personality. The award given to him reflects the emotion he gave to our people with his lyrics».