Dionysus

Music and lyrics by Mikis Theodorakis
Sung by Thanassis Moraitis

With the participation of choir directed by Antonis Kontogeorgiou

Soloists (bouzouki): Lakis Karnezis, Kostas Papadopoulos
Cover painting: Bost

First production of Sirius by Manos Hadjidakis, Sirius-EMI 1985; re-issued in CD form, Minos-EMI 1995 & EMI 2007).

 Gisela May & Thanassis Moraitis
                    sing
         Mikis Theodorakis

The recording and the first publication in LP took place in Eastern Berlin on February 1988 (VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin DDR).
Re-issued in CD form and first release in Greece in 2003 (Nostos by Protasis).
Production manager: Grigoris Psarianos, Thanassis Moraitis

     Memory of stone

 

Music by Mikis Theodorakis

Lyrics by Michalis Bourboulis

 

Sung by Thanassis Moraitis

 

Cover painting: Giorgos Papakonstantis

The recording and the first publication in LP took place in 1987 (Ioulianos-CBS).

30 Years of Mikis Theodorakis
Music by Mikis Theodorakis
Sung by Thanassis Moraitis, Eleni Tsangaraki, Dimitra Chatoupi
Instrumentation: Dimitris Papangelidis
Production manager: Stelios Fotiadis, Ipokratis Exarchopoulos
The recording and the first publication in LP took place in 1989 (WEA).

Through branches of the stars

        Thanassis Moraitis
        in works and songs by
         Manos Hadjidakis
Lyrics by Iakovos Kambanellis (Tale without a name), Nicos Gatsos (Detached Ι)
Musical score: Demetrios Lekkas
In association with the Bukurana quintet (Aristides Hatzistavrou: classical guitar / Nicos Katritzidakis: flute, piccolo / Christina Kolovou: violoncello / Haris Mermingas: double bass / Xenophon Symboulides: oboe, english horn)
Cover painting: Spyros Vassiliou
Production: FM Records 2001

My age-old moons, my new-flown birds

            Thanassis Moraitis
            in works and songs by
             Manos Hadjidakis
Lyrics by Nicos Gatsos (Blood Wedding - Detached ΙI)
Musical score: Demetrios Lekkas
In association with the Bukurana quintet (Aristides Hatzistavrou, classical guitar / Nicos Katritzidakis, flute / Tasos Missirlis, violoncello / Giorgos Arnis, double bass / Xenophon Symboulides, oboe - english horn)
Cover painting: Alexis Veroukas
Production: FM Records 2002

        Thanassis Moraitis
         Arvanitic songs


Musicological study - arrangements - choral writing - conducting: Demetrios Lekkas
Collection of the material - historical and ethnological research: Aristides Kollias

With the participation of: Photoula Sophoú, Georgia Moraiti and the Singers choir, directed by Antonis Kontogeorgiou
Musicians: Tassos Diakogiorgis (santouri), Spyros Ioannou (violoncello), Michalis Klapakis (percussion), Demetrios Lekkas (psalterium, recorders), Nicos Tsesmelis (double bass), Elias Tsiakas (clarinet), Christos Tsiamoulis (tambouras, oûd, mandoline), Dimitris Papageorgiou (laouto), Grigoris Papageorgiou (dayeré, tambourine), Stephanos Vartanis (violin)
The recording of these Arvanitic songs took place during the concert in the Orpheus theatre in December 15, 1986, in Athens; Vassilis Georgopoulos was the recording engineer.
Production management - insert: Thanassis Moraitis
Musicological analysis: Demetrios Lekkas
Greek rendition of lyrics: Aristides Kollias, Thanassis Moraitis
English version: Amy Mims, Demetrios Lekkas
This album first published: January 1988 (Ioulianos-CBS)
Second edition: May 1995 & 2002 (FM Records)
Cover photo: The Demosthenes Papaconstantinou family from Vilia, Attica (1937)

Ioulianos and the Arvanitic songs
by Mikis Theodorakis

With the Arvanitic songs, the Ioulianos Record Company is inaugurating a series of works based on our Greek musical tradition. Of course, it is no coincidence that the main interpreter and inspirer of this record is my close collaborator: Thanassis Moraitis.
    What I especially respect in this endeavour is the serious and devoted attitude of all the artists involved in this objectively important work. I would even add the word “fanaticism”; because, if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time that anyone has dealt so openly and boldly with the popular musical tradition of a category of Greeks, who have the singular quality of preserving their own language and customs.
    When one listens to this music, it is difficult to detect differences from Greek traditional songs. In many cases, the very same melody is sung in the Arvanitic dialect. In certain cases, Byzantine influence is also definitive, as well as ancient Greek –if one can judge by the modes. I hope that the Greek public will welcome this fine musical outcome, where (among other things) the young Theban Thanassis Moraitis has found the opportunity of revealing to us the sources which endowed him with the first fundamental lessons in the art of being a singer.
                                                                                     Athens, April 23, 1987

              Thanassis Moraitis
              Rose of the rocks
 Arvanitic songs from Southern Italy and Greece


Guests: Aphrodite Manou, mixed choir (directed by Valery Oreskin) and the Kodaly Conservatory Children’s choir (directed by Michalis Patseas)
Special Guest: Domna Samiou
Musical direction: Nikos Grapsas - Demetrios Lekkas
Musicians: Yannis Zevgolis (violin), Panayotis Plastiras (clarinet, pipiza [shawn], floghera [reed flute]), Nikos Grapsas (lute, oud, mandoline, acoustic guitar), Demetrios Lekkas (recorders, qanun), Xenophon Symboulides (oboe, english horn), Constance Kapetanopoulou (santouri [dulcimer]), Vassilis Liarmakopoulos (double bass), Themis Symvoulopoulos (percussion), Andreas Pemas (percussion). 
The production includes 21 out of 25 songs performed and recorded during the concert at Pallas Hall on March 7, 1998, in Athens; Vassilis Georgopoulos was the recording engineer.
Field research, collection, compilation, cataloguing and translation of material into Greek, istorical coments, photographic material, coordination of booklet, production management: Thanassis Moraitis
Musicological coments: Nikos Grapsas, Demetrios Lekkas
English translations: Demetrios Lekkas
This album first published by MBI-CHRONOS 1999
Second edition: LYRA 2009
Sponsored by Commercial bank of Greece


                Thanassis Moraitis

    interprets unrecorded popular songs

            written and composed by

                  Dimitris Atraidis

 

                    (2 CD’s – 26 songs)

 
Thanassis Moraitis is accompanied 
by Nikos Marangopoulos and Chryssoula Christopoulou
Backing vocals: Yannis Ioannou, Soula Christodoulou
Choir: Yannis Gheroyannis, Dimitris Christodoulou, Markos Dragoumis, Nikos Bekos, Lila and Rena Zafiropoulou
Instrumentation: Yannis Ioannou
Musicians: Dimitris Christodoulou (bouzouki), Manolis Pappos (bouzouki, tzoura, baglamas, oud), Tassos Diakoghiorghis (dulcimer), Nikos Chatzopoulos (violin), Antonis Aperghis (quanun, acoustic guitar), Anestis Christodoulou (acoustic guitar), Yannis Ioannou (accordion, triangle, contrabass), Michalis Klapakis (percussion), Yannis Sarikos (drums, daouli).
Recearch, discovery, transcription, general supervision:
Markos Ph. Dragoumis
Arrangements of the songs: Yannis Ioannou, Thanassis Moraitis
Cover photo: Dimitris Atraidis with his son Yorghos, around 1925 (Photo archive of Lefteris and Lila Miaouli of the Atraisis family)
Published by the Friends of the Melpo Merlier Folk Music Archive
Production: LYRA 1996

        Right in the middle of the sea 
            -Songs from Samothrace

Unpublished songs notated by Nikólaos Phardýs and Markos Ph. Dragoumis

Sung by Chronis Aidonides, Domna Samiou, Thanassis Moraitis, Katerina Papadopoulou and Markos Dragoumis

Orchestra director: Socrates Sinópoulos
Musicians: Geόrgios Marinakis (violin), Kostas Meretakis (bendir, toumbeleki, massiά -a set of minute cymbals, mounted on a metal frame, finger cymbals, glasses, nails), Socrates Sinόpoulos (lafta, lira and violoncello), Kyriakos Tapakis (lute), Panos Demitrakόpoulos (qanun)

Produced by the Municipality of Samothrace
Production, publishing and booklet editor: Thanassis Moraitis
Sponsors: the Ministry of Culture and the Demokrítion University of Thrace

All songs and comments related to them were taken from Markos Dragoumis’ 85 Demotic Melodies from the manuscripts of Nikólaos Phardýs (published by the Music Folklore Archive, Athens 1991) and from the recordings made by Markos Ph. Dragoumis and Nikos Soroulas in Samothrace in 1961.
Translation into English: Marilena Triantafyllidou
Cover Painting: Christos Karas, Seagull over the Sea (detail)
Published in 2003 by Greek Record Club

    Oimi, phos tou kosmou
  Hymns from the Holy Passion

Chant by Thanassis Moraitis, master cantor Spyros Pavlakis and actress Lydia Koniordou

Live recording from a concert in Saint Nikolaos (Chalandri – Athens)
Production manager: Grigoris Psarianos, Thanassis Moraitis
Cover painting: Alexis Veroukas
Published in April 2003 (Protasis)