“Mikis Theodorakis may have been the last great Greek” Turkish composer and writer Zülfü Livaneli said while talking about their common artistic and political career.
Zülfü Livaneli, one of the most important musicians and writers in Turkey, was a close friend and collaborator of Mikis Theodorakis. “We had the impression that for us Mikis is immortal. I was shocked to lose one of my best friends. We met in 1983, in Athens at our concert with Maria Farantouri“.
Mr. Livaneli passionately explains to us the efforts they made with Mikis Theodorakis to bring the peoples of Greece and Turkey together.
“In 1986 we created an album. With five works by him and as many by me, this album was released in Turkey under the title «Güneş Topla Benim İçin» (“Pick up the sun for me”). This record had become gold in Turkey, as one million copies were sold! Mikis Theodorakis then came to Istanbul for the gold record award ceremony. Then we decided to establish the Greek-Turkish Friendship Association. These were difficult times. We were both attacked, in our countries we were called traitors. My friend, Ismail Cem, however, had told me that “with George Papandreou we walked on the road to peace, but you and Theodorakis had laid the carpet on this road”. Later we went to Ankara, we met with Turgut Ozal, then he was prime minister. We talked for 2.5 hours. We asked Ozal to lift the visa for the peoples of the two countries. Ozal accepted immediately and the visa was revoked. And that happened after our request “.
Zulfou Livaneli remembers that Mikis Theodorakis often talked to him about Cesme, where his mother was from. “On his 80th birthday, I made a surprise for him and organized a concert at the Cesme Open Theater. He was so happy and later we went to Chios together for the opening of the “Mikis Theodorakis” theater and I had given a concert. Anyway, as soon as he arrived in Turkey, he told me “take me to a patisserie now” and we went!
Throughout his life, Mikis Theodorakis fought for peace, democracy, human rights and equality. It was a value of Greece, but in fact it was a value that Greece gave as a gift to the whole world.
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