“Aegean: images of Greece ”

Photographic exhibition organized by the Permanent Mission of Greece to the U.N. Office in Geneva (Hall des pas perdus, 3-20 – December 2002)

“…The pot of baby’s breath through
open yard gates
And the pieces of seas coming together
Behind the hedgerows, above the stone walls
The anemone that lay in your hand
So the mauve trembled three times for
three days above the waterfalls…”

Extract from “The Monogra m ” ,
Odysseas Elytis Nobel prize for Literature

No country’s historical fate has been so closely linked with the sea as has that of Greece.

From Sappho to Homer, as for Nobel Laureate Odysseas Elytis, the Aegean Sea has been the cradle of Greek civilization, a source of inspiration and creativity for thousands of years.

Through the work of 11 Greek photographers, this exhibition portrays the essence of life in the Aegean and presents it, not only as the panorama of blue water and white houses which charm tourists in their millions, but as the home of its people, with their long history, tradition and culture.

The exhibits capture the atmosphere of the Aegean in all its variety and complexity: the whitewashed brilliance of its houses and churches, contrasting with the glory and dignity of the ancient Greek temples and sculptures; and the daily life of its inhabitants, all linked in harmony on the rugged soil of Greece.

The images projected by the eye of the camera may affect each of us differently. Nevertheless, by the power and intensity of their vision, we all share the optical experience reflected in the photographer’s tender and sensitive insight, captivated by the immediate visual impact of today’s Aegean lifeworld – its sea, its sky, its houses, people and activities.

The Greek Ministry´s of Press and Mass Media Press Offices have organized and promoted the exhibition, among others, in Paris, Rome at the famous Palazzo Delle Esposizioni, Brussels at the Museum of History and art, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Washington and Boston.

“…These friendly waters, with the dazzling azure colors and the brightening light reflections, sown all over by islands, have been a fountain of inspiration and creation for thousands of years.

This present effort attempts to shed light to a different image. An image, which is so contemporary and so old at the same time. It presents local and everyday life images through high quality photos, combining both the elements of meticulous recording and perfect technique to an aesthetic overview, and clime in an intense artistic and personal flair…”

“…Today, this particular culture of the Aegean Sea, can be considered as an important alternative prospect, compared to the massive urban cultures of modern Europe.

“…The statue suddenly dawns. But the bodies have vanished in the sea in the wind in the sun in the rain. So the beauties nature grants us are born but who knows if a soul hasn´t died in the world…” Etract from “Turing Point” , George Seferis Nobel prize for Literature .

It appears that the Aegean is a place that calls upon one to develop a personal relation with it. This relation though, does not only consist of the aesthetic enjoyment that the sunset offers, of the dark blue sea that to the coasts becomes green, or of the white small houses and chapels at the top of the mountains. It is about the general atmosphere of the archipelago: the daily way of life and the habits of the residents, their labor and daily cares; the fables, the legends and traditions, the villages´ feasts and litanies, the baptisms and the weddings; gestures of everyday life, sharing hands, farewells, hospitality, the embraces and the kisses; elements of a different sociability…”

The eleven photographers of the exhibition have dealt with the above and many other subjects, and they did it with the most persuasive, genuine and direct way.

From the Album “Aegean: Images of Greece”.

“…We moored on shores full of night-scents, the birds singing, waters that left on the hands the memory of a great happiness…”

E x t ract fro m “ M y t h i s t o re m a ” , G e o rge Se f e ri s

Concert organized by the Permanent Mission of Greece to the U.N. Office in Geneva, Tuesday, 3 December, 2002, Hall XIV, 7pm Piano works by Manos Hadjidakis performed by Mrs Dora Bakopoulou
I. Six Folklore Paintings, op. 5 (1949-50)
II. For a Small White Seashell, op. 1

(1947-48). Preludes and dances

Both works were staged as ballets by the Greek Chorodrama.

Six Folklore Paintings involves dances based on six well-known folk songs… “The principal character in the songs is a young man in quest of remote beauty; but as he gets close to it and thinks he can win it, he realizes that it is only a fleeting dream and so relapses into eternal longing”…

For a Small White Seashell involves a series of (folk) dances … “A small, white clam is dancing in the translucent water. The other maritime creatures are jealous and endeavor to lure it away. However, a seahorse charms her with a serenade, and their wedding takes place amid great joy”… ( From the book “Greek Choro d ra m a ” ) …Manos Hadjidakis´ esteem for the “rebetika” greek folk songs was first expressed with his Six Folklore Paintings, that marvelous ballet, whose music is the self-same compositions of top-notch “rebetika” composers whom Manos Hadjidakis held in high regard, and whose music he confined himself to arranging in his very sensitive, cultured and impressive way.

But Manos Hadjidakis is also a boon to the genuine (agrarian) folk music. The superb For a Small White Seashell, in effect his Opus 1, has preludes (free, his own) and dances (genuine folk): here in the dances, Manos Hadjidakis enterprising through and through, does not “adapt “ folk music, he “writes” folk music with the same spirit and technique, as though it were original…

From the book “Open letters to Manos Hadjidakis”, Yiannis G. Papaioannou, Musicologist.

Manos Hadjidakis (1925-1994) was born in Xanthi, northern Greece. At the age of four he started learning the piano. During 1940-43 he studied theory and harmony. At the same time he studied philosophy at the Athens University, while being nurtured in the company of artists and intellectuals of stature, such as Seferis, Elytis, Tsarouhis. From 1945 on, when he began his collaboration with the Greek National Theater and the Art Theater, he composed music for ancient Greek Drama, as well as incidental music for the contemporary repertory. Along with his work for the theater, from 1946 on, Hadjidakis composed music for a great number of Greek and foreign films. In 1960 he was awarded an Oscar for his song for the film Never on Sunday by Jules Dassin. Hadjidakis had also a long and fruitful collaboration with the 20th Century Ballets, either conducting works of other composers, or conducting his own works choreographed by Maurice Bejart. During the period 1966-72 he lived in New York, where he wrote some of his most important works (Rhythmology, Magnus Eroticus, a cycle of songs based on poems of ancient and modern Greek poets, Reflections). Hadjidakis, a versatile, many- sided personality, used his talents in many more artistic activities. From the very start of his career, he had been active in producing dozens of records, which have been acclaimed as classic of their kind in Greece.

Dora Bakopoulou was born in Athens. She studied piano at the Athens Conservatory graduating with honors. She then enrolled at the Geneva Conservatory under the aegis of Louis Hiltbrand, obtaining the “Premier Prix de Virtuosité avec distinction”. She also studied in Salzburg and Vienna, receiving a top prize. She has also been a prizewinner at international competitions in Munich and Ve rcelli (Italy). She has given recitals worldwide, including London, Moscow, St. Petersburg and New York. She has represented Greece in an official capacity in various cultural events abroad. She has given solo performances at the ancient theatre of Herodes Atticus within the framework “Athens: Cultural Capital of Europe”. She has made a number of recordings of Greek composers (notably Manos Hadjidakis and Mikis Theodorakis) and from the foreign repertoire. The Athens Academy conferred on her the Motsenigos Award for her service to music.