Maria Farantouri

Maria Farantouri stands out as a prominent Greek singer and political activist widely regarded among the leading voices in Greek music, particularly through her interpretations of composer Mikis Theodorakis. Possessing the range of a contralto with a deep, resonant tone, she has earned comparisons to the Joan Baez of Greece while shifting over time from traditional and folk roots toward jazz, classical, and avant-garde material. Born in Athens in 1947, she began performing during her youth in the progressive choir of the Society of Greek Music, an ensemble dedicated to fostering new works grounded in Greek traditions. In her teenage years Theodorakis noticed her talent and brought her into his group, sparking a period of artistic and social growth during which she joined his culturally and politically left-leaning projects to champion the poetry of numerous significant Greek writers.

Between 1967 and 1974 a right-wing military junta seized power in Greece, compelling Farantouri into exile. While abroad she and Theodorakis produced multiple protest recordings across Europe and broadened their repertoire to encompass texts by Bertolt Brecht, works by Spanish composer Carlos Puebla, and pieces by additional Greek creators such as Eleni Karaindrou and Mikalis Bourboulis. She also issued the anti-fascist album Mauthausen Cycle, a Theodorakis composition setting the words of poet Iakovos Kambanellis; frequently described as a hymn to human rights, the recording became one of her defining releases. Upon her return to Greece in 1974 Farantouri restarted her thriving discography and began exploring new sonic directions, among them jazz.

Remaining steadfast in her political convictions, she won election to the Greek Parliament as a representative of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement and served from 1989 to 1993. From the mid-’90s forward she issued a wide array of albums spanning multiple styles, among them a 2007 collection of George Gershwin standards. Although she most often presents material by Greek authors and composers, Farantouri persists in broadening her artistic scope and can deliver nearly any musical genre in a distinctive manner. In 2011 she joined jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd and his quartet on the live recording Athens Concert.