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A wellspring of popular resistance
As a beleaguered Greek nation goes to the polls again this weekend, many will be searching for a source of inspiration to face the hard times ahead. They may well find it in the work of MIKIS THEODORAKIS, says Mary Adossides

THE MUSIC of Mikis Theodorakis, who celebrated his 90th birthday at the end of July, has been the vibrant pulse of popular culture and resistance to fascism in Greece and elsewhere for many decades.

Born on the island of Chios in 1925, Theodorakis was exposed to folk music from an early age and learned Byzantine chants as an Orthodox choirboy.

He composed his first songs as a teenager while travelling with his family from place to place, listening to different Greek musical traditions.

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