Biography
With a discography exceeding 40 albums and a string of successful recordings spanning 25 years, Thanos Mikroutsikos emerged as one of Greece’s most significant and widely praised composers in recent decades.
Born in Patra in 1947, Mikroutsikos began piano, theory, and harmony lessons at an early age through the Philharmonic Company of Patra and the Greek Conservatory. While completing a mathematics degree in Athens he pursued further classical training that encompassed harmony, polyphony, fugue, and composition, before entering the Greek music scene at the close of the 1960s.
His debut release, the politically charged Politika Tragoudia of 1975, appeared amid a period of heightened political tension in Greece; its songs drew on poems by Nazm Hikmet and Wolf Biermann, two of which Mikroutsikos performed himself while Maria Dimitriadi sang the remainder. Subsequent politically oriented albums followed rapidly. In 1976 he issued Cantata Gia Tin Makroniso, setting Giannis Ritsos, paired with Spoudi Se Poihmata Tou Vladimir Mayakovsky; Maria Dimitriadi again took the lead vocals, joined by Sakis Boulas, Afroditi Manou, Giannis Zouganelis, and Giorgos Mixailidis. The following year saw Fuente Ovejuna Tou Lope De Vega, written for the play of the same title, and Troparia Gia Foniades, based on Manos Elutheriou’s verse, both featuring Maria Dimitriadi and Giorgos Merantzas. In 1978 came Mousiki Praxi Ston Brecht, using Bertolt Brecht poems and sung by Giannis Koutras, together with Tragoudia Tis Leuterias, whose texts came from Alkis Alkaios, Bertolt Brecht, Manolis Anagnostakis, Giannis Ritsos, and Fontas Ladis, all performed by Maria Dimitriadi.
The 1979 album Stauros Tou Notou, setting Nikos Kavvadias, became one of the best-selling Greek recordings ever and Mikroutsikos’s signature work; Giannis Koutras, Aimilia Sarri, and Vasilis Papakonstantinou were the vocalists, and the set contained the hit songs “Ena Maxairi” and “Enas Negros Thermastis Apo To Djibouti.” The next year’s Euripides IV drew on Euripides, with soloists Misa Ikeoutsi, Marielli Sfakianaki, Konstantinos Paliatsaras, and Antonis Kontogeorgiou plus narration by Eirini Igglesi. Success continued with the 1982 album Embargo, which included the hits “Erotiko” (Manolis Mitsias) and “Kakoithes Melanoma” (sung by Mikroutsikos himself) and featured Maria Dimitriadi, Kostas Karalis, and Vlasis Mponatsos; the lyrics, supplied by Alkis Alkaios, fused rock ballads, electronic textures, and Greek folk elements. Alkaios and Mikroutsikos would collaborate repeatedly thereafter. Further releases were O Geros Ths Alexandreias and Arapia Gia Ligo Papse Na Xtypas Me To Spathi in 1983 and Victor Victoria, the Greek adaptation of the play, in 1985.
H Agaph Einai Zali, issued in 1986, marked Mikroutsikos’s first project with Xaroula Alexiou and aimed at a broader public, yielding the title track and “Eleni” as fresh hits; the words came from Nikos Kavvadias, Alkis Alkaios, Mpampis Tsikliropoulos, and the composer’s brother Andreas Mikroutsikos. These projects signaled a widening audience during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1987 he released Ston Mano Loizo, honoring Manos Loizos with Giorgos Seferis texts and performed by Fragiskos Voutsinos. Ola Apo Xeri Kamena followed in 1988, with Kostas Tripolitis lyrics and Vassilis Papakonstantinou as vocalist. Three albums appeared in 1989: Ellas Katopin Aortis, written for the play of the same name; Oso Krataei Enas Kafes, again with Alkis Alkaios, Kostas Tripolitis, and Giorgos Paurianos; and Krataei Xronia Auth H Kolwnia, another Alexiou collaboration whose lyrics by Lina Nikolakopoulou produced the title song and “Tilefonitis.”
Mikroutsikos maintained a steady pace of releases through the 1990s. Oi Grammes Ton Orizonton (1991) revisited Nikos Kavvadias, presenting new orchestrations of the Stauros Tou Notou material alongside six additional songs performed by Giorgos Ntalaras, Vassilis Papakonstantinou, Xaris and Panos Katsimixas, and Mikroutsikos himself; despite criticism for the predominance of reworked older material, the album achieved strong sales. Further successes included Syggnomi Gia Thn Amyna (1992), a Giorgos Ntalaras–Kostas Tripolitis collaboration; Volpe d’Amore (1994), in which Italian singer Milva presented Italian-language versions of earlier hits; and Stou Aiona Thn Paraga (1996), recorded with Dimitris Mitropanos and lyricists Alkis Alkaios, Giorgos Kakoulidis, Kostas Lahas, and Lina Nikolakopoulou, containing the well-known tracks “Mia Palia Fotografia,” “San Planwdio Tsirko,” “Panta Gelastoi,” and “Roza.” In 1997 he issued Poihsi Me Mousiki, setting Konstantinos Kavafis and featuring Kostas Thomaidis; H Istoria Tis Loulou, incidental music for the play; and Psaxe Sto Oneiro Mas, with actor Lakis Lazopoulos supplying the words and a cast that included Dimitris Mitropanos, Eleutheria Arvanitaki, Kostas Thomaidis, Katerina Kouka, Kostas Makedonas, Laurentis Maxairitsas, Giannis Mpezos, Dionysis Tsaknis, the lyricist, and the composer, yielding the hits “Psaxe Sto Oneiro Mas” and “To Mhden.” The 1998 album O Thanos Mikroutsikos Tragouda Thano Mikroutsiko presented Mikroutsikos performing many of his own compositions in his distinctive vocal style. The following year he reunited with Vassilis Papakonstantinou and lyricist Odysseas Ioannou for Thalassa Stin Skala.
Ston Topo Mou Eimai Teleia Xenos, released in 2001 and based on François Villon, featured Giannis Xristopoulos; O Amlet Tis Selinis followed in 2002, with Xristos Thivaios and lyrics by Manos Eleutheriou, Kostas Tripolitis, Odysseas Ioannou, Giorgos Kakoulidis, Kostas Lahas, and Tzeni Mastoraki, generating the hits “O Amlet Tis Selinis,” “O Amlet Tis Vroxis,” “Den Eimai Allos,” and “Control.” In 2004 O Sxoinovatis set Giannis Ritsos, sung by Kostas Thomaidis and Georgia Syllaiou. His final album, Yperoxa Monaxoi (2007), once more involved Alkis Alkaios, Manolis Mitsias, and Xristos Thivaios.
Beyond his recorded output, Mikroutsikos composed operas, symphonies, chamber works, and film scores. He also served as artistic director of Patra’s Festival and of the Musical Stand at Megaron Mousikis before his appointment as Alternate Minister of Culture; following the 1994 death of Minister Melina Mercouri, he assumed the full post, which he held until 1996.
Born in Patra in 1947, Mikroutsikos began piano, theory, and harmony lessons at an early age through the Philharmonic Company of Patra and the Greek Conservatory. While completing a mathematics degree in Athens he pursued further classical training that encompassed harmony, polyphony, fugue, and composition, before entering the Greek music scene at the close of the 1960s.
His debut release, the politically charged Politika Tragoudia of 1975, appeared amid a period of heightened political tension in Greece; its songs drew on poems by Nazm Hikmet and Wolf Biermann, two of which Mikroutsikos performed himself while Maria Dimitriadi sang the remainder. Subsequent politically oriented albums followed rapidly. In 1976 he issued Cantata Gia Tin Makroniso, setting Giannis Ritsos, paired with Spoudi Se Poihmata Tou Vladimir Mayakovsky; Maria Dimitriadi again took the lead vocals, joined by Sakis Boulas, Afroditi Manou, Giannis Zouganelis, and Giorgos Mixailidis. The following year saw Fuente Ovejuna Tou Lope De Vega, written for the play of the same title, and Troparia Gia Foniades, based on Manos Elutheriou’s verse, both featuring Maria Dimitriadi and Giorgos Merantzas. In 1978 came Mousiki Praxi Ston Brecht, using Bertolt Brecht poems and sung by Giannis Koutras, together with Tragoudia Tis Leuterias, whose texts came from Alkis Alkaios, Bertolt Brecht, Manolis Anagnostakis, Giannis Ritsos, and Fontas Ladis, all performed by Maria Dimitriadi.
The 1979 album Stauros Tou Notou, setting Nikos Kavvadias, became one of the best-selling Greek recordings ever and Mikroutsikos’s signature work; Giannis Koutras, Aimilia Sarri, and Vasilis Papakonstantinou were the vocalists, and the set contained the hit songs “Ena Maxairi” and “Enas Negros Thermastis Apo To Djibouti.” The next year’s Euripides IV drew on Euripides, with soloists Misa Ikeoutsi, Marielli Sfakianaki, Konstantinos Paliatsaras, and Antonis Kontogeorgiou plus narration by Eirini Igglesi. Success continued with the 1982 album Embargo, which included the hits “Erotiko” (Manolis Mitsias) and “Kakoithes Melanoma” (sung by Mikroutsikos himself) and featured Maria Dimitriadi, Kostas Karalis, and Vlasis Mponatsos; the lyrics, supplied by Alkis Alkaios, fused rock ballads, electronic textures, and Greek folk elements. Alkaios and Mikroutsikos would collaborate repeatedly thereafter. Further releases were O Geros Ths Alexandreias and Arapia Gia Ligo Papse Na Xtypas Me To Spathi in 1983 and Victor Victoria, the Greek adaptation of the play, in 1985.
H Agaph Einai Zali, issued in 1986, marked Mikroutsikos’s first project with Xaroula Alexiou and aimed at a broader public, yielding the title track and “Eleni” as fresh hits; the words came from Nikos Kavvadias, Alkis Alkaios, Mpampis Tsikliropoulos, and the composer’s brother Andreas Mikroutsikos. These projects signaled a widening audience during the 1980s and 1990s. In 1987 he released Ston Mano Loizo, honoring Manos Loizos with Giorgos Seferis texts and performed by Fragiskos Voutsinos. Ola Apo Xeri Kamena followed in 1988, with Kostas Tripolitis lyrics and Vassilis Papakonstantinou as vocalist. Three albums appeared in 1989: Ellas Katopin Aortis, written for the play of the same name; Oso Krataei Enas Kafes, again with Alkis Alkaios, Kostas Tripolitis, and Giorgos Paurianos; and Krataei Xronia Auth H Kolwnia, another Alexiou collaboration whose lyrics by Lina Nikolakopoulou produced the title song and “Tilefonitis.”
Mikroutsikos maintained a steady pace of releases through the 1990s. Oi Grammes Ton Orizonton (1991) revisited Nikos Kavvadias, presenting new orchestrations of the Stauros Tou Notou material alongside six additional songs performed by Giorgos Ntalaras, Vassilis Papakonstantinou, Xaris and Panos Katsimixas, and Mikroutsikos himself; despite criticism for the predominance of reworked older material, the album achieved strong sales. Further successes included Syggnomi Gia Thn Amyna (1992), a Giorgos Ntalaras–Kostas Tripolitis collaboration; Volpe d’Amore (1994), in which Italian singer Milva presented Italian-language versions of earlier hits; and Stou Aiona Thn Paraga (1996), recorded with Dimitris Mitropanos and lyricists Alkis Alkaios, Giorgos Kakoulidis, Kostas Lahas, and Lina Nikolakopoulou, containing the well-known tracks “Mia Palia Fotografia,” “San Planwdio Tsirko,” “Panta Gelastoi,” and “Roza.” In 1997 he issued Poihsi Me Mousiki, setting Konstantinos Kavafis and featuring Kostas Thomaidis; H Istoria Tis Loulou, incidental music for the play; and Psaxe Sto Oneiro Mas, with actor Lakis Lazopoulos supplying the words and a cast that included Dimitris Mitropanos, Eleutheria Arvanitaki, Kostas Thomaidis, Katerina Kouka, Kostas Makedonas, Laurentis Maxairitsas, Giannis Mpezos, Dionysis Tsaknis, the lyricist, and the composer, yielding the hits “Psaxe Sto Oneiro Mas” and “To Mhden.” The 1998 album O Thanos Mikroutsikos Tragouda Thano Mikroutsiko presented Mikroutsikos performing many of his own compositions in his distinctive vocal style. The following year he reunited with Vassilis Papakonstantinou and lyricist Odysseas Ioannou for Thalassa Stin Skala.
Ston Topo Mou Eimai Teleia Xenos, released in 2001 and based on François Villon, featured Giannis Xristopoulos; O Amlet Tis Selinis followed in 2002, with Xristos Thivaios and lyrics by Manos Eleutheriou, Kostas Tripolitis, Odysseas Ioannou, Giorgos Kakoulidis, Kostas Lahas, and Tzeni Mastoraki, generating the hits “O Amlet Tis Selinis,” “O Amlet Tis Vroxis,” “Den Eimai Allos,” and “Control.” In 2004 O Sxoinovatis set Giannis Ritsos, sung by Kostas Thomaidis and Georgia Syllaiou. His final album, Yperoxa Monaxoi (2007), once more involved Alkis Alkaios, Manolis Mitsias, and Xristos Thivaios.
Beyond his recorded output, Mikroutsikos composed operas, symphonies, chamber works, and film scores. He also served as artistic director of Patra’s Festival and of the Musical Stand at Megaron Mousikis before his appointment as Alternate Minister of Culture; following the 1994 death of Minister Melina Mercouri, he assumed the full post, which he held until 1996.
Albums
Stin omihli ton kairon
2017
Afta Pou Tragoudisame
2016
Music Stories
2008
Embargo
2008
Anthologio - Thanos Mikroutsikos
2008
Mia Epohi Stin Kolasi / Memoires Brisees
2004
O Shinovatis
2004
Grammes Ton Orizodon
2001
Ston Topo Mou Ime Telia Xenos
2001
Dance And Memories
2001
Tou Apirou Erastis
2000
The Return Of Helen
1999
O Thanos Mikroutsikos Tragoudai Thano Mikroutsiko
1998
Piisi Me Mousiki
1997
Music For 2
1992
Ston Mano Loizo - Nihta Me Skies Hromatistes
1987
O Geros Tis Alexandrias / Arapia Gia Ligo Papse Na Htipas Me To Spathi
1983
Live
