On Monday evening, 7^th August, a major event was held for the first time in the newly completed area of Kolymbari harbour formed by filling in and concreting over the old fishing harbour, which was moved out next to the sea wall. The large open area thus produced was clearly ideal for large-scale events, and so it proved on Monday night.

Appropriately, considering the veneration in which he is held by the area’s inhabitants, the event was a concert in tribute to composer Mikis Theodorakis. The bandstand was at the water’s edge facing shorewards, while the audience sat on rows of plastic chairs – no doubt brought from the same inexhaustible source which seems to supply all the local festivals – and on the low concrete steps running along the length of the new quayside. In addition the Argentina and Diktina restaurants had set up tables in their allotted spaces so that their most fortunate customers were able to enjoy the performance while eating their evening meal. Some people were also able to find seats on the rear balcony of Stavros’s café-bar on the corner opposite the Mylos café, though at that distance the music – which unusually was not broadcast at deafening volume – was rather muted. Chilled mineral water and beer were available along the waterfront.

The event was held under the banner of the Mikis Theodorakis Festival, an ongoing programme of events celebrating the life and music of the composer in and around Chania, which has been running since 2015. It was organised by the Cretan Regional Authority, the municipality of Chania and the KEPPEDICH-KAM, in collaboration with the Municipality of Platanias and elements of the municipal unit of Kolymbari. The evening was judged a success, the organisers claiming attendance of 1,500 people.

The programme kicked off with a session of Cretan music in the familiar style, though more ambitious than usual in orchestration – a nod perhaps to the composer to whom the evening was dedicated. The musicians were Stelios and Leonidas Lainakis (lute and vocals) and Panagiotis Darmarakis (violin). There then followed a round of speeches before the main part of the concert began.

There was a short speech of welcome by Matthaios Franzeskakis, a member of the committee for the Mikis Theodorakis Festival, who described the Festival’s aims and activities. Regional Councillor Sofia Malandraki-Krasoudaki then mentioned the Regional Authority’s unwavering support for the Festival and the need for continuing promotion of the great composer’s work.

Finally the president of the Pancretan Mikis Theodorakis Association, Giorgos Agorastakis, gave a lengthy account of the life and professional development of the composer. He referred to the historic nature of the concert which, he said, served as a reminder of Mikis Theodorakis’s first encounter with Cretan music in Kolymbari in 1950. Our duty, Mr Agorastakis said, towards his memory and towards our cultural tradition, was and is to highlight the deep relationship of his work with Crete and with our culture.

The concert proper then began, with the composer’s songs interpreted by Kostas Thomaidis and Ioanna Forti, with musical director Giorgos Saltaris. Dressed for the occasion in a bandanna and a flowing scarf, Ms Forti launched into many familiar tunes by the man she referred to as “our Miki”, doing her best to elicit audience reaction and inviting them to sing along the well-known choruses. The response was tepid to begin with, but became more enthusiastic as the evening wore on.

Giving his own tribute to the composer, the mayor of Platanias Giannis Malandrakis said: “This is a very important event today – hosting a major concert devoted to the great musician Mikis Theodorakis in our new Kolymbari Harbour. As Mr Agorastakis has pointed out, Mikis Theodorakis was connected with our locality here in his first musical steps. Moreover, recently the Municipality of Platanias decided to name the old national road from the centre of Platanias to the Kolymbari crossroads the ‘Mikis Theodorakis Boulevard’, as a modest demonstration of respect for the work and the memory of the great creator.”
(Haniotika Nea, 08/08/23)