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Lynne Kleanthous

Concert - Kotsiras / Basis

57 posts in this topic

Well, I suppose that most Greek people who grew up in Greece must be able to learn Eastern music much more easily than any western European person. The same applies to language, Anna. When you are a small child and hear the same type of music all the time, you get accustomed to it, just the way you get accustomed to your mother's voice when you are in her womb...

Of course, "not every Greek, born in Greece, raised in Greece, has the 'Eastern' voice!" Some of them have no voice at all... (joke)...

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I could listen to a dozen songs by Kotsiras this morning. Not the same type of voice as Basis'. Kotsiras' is more "European". In fact, if the lyrics had been in French, he could have been a good French singer of the 1970's. I prefer Basis anyway.

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Basis playes with his voice more than Kotsiras does. I mean that Kotsiras sang most of the songs the way he sings them in his CDs, whereas Basis used his voice differently and in various ways. However they are both good singers.

As I re-read this post, Nicki, you make me think of what I explained to Anna about ways of singing. Your impression is a sort of explanation and is perhaps a way to make the differences easier to understand by non Greek people. :huh:

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I think that the voice of dalaras belongs to the eastern-greek type of singing but the last 15 years (i think since 1986-87) he has also added to his singing many things - elements from the western type as he sang spanish (latin) , italian (canzonne per te, etc..) or hymns in the latin language. But even when he sangs these songs he has a beautiful and also unique way to combine the two voices, and giving a new approach to the songs.

P.x. einai Granada (as he sung in the Herodeum in 2000 with tha BBC Concert Orchestra) he used a completely different technique from that he ussually uses - a western classical technique (though he usually uses tha byzantine technique). However, he managed to add his own "stigma" to the song and something of the greek way of singing so as no to make an operatic performance but something more beautiful !

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As far Kotsira is concerned i have many times in the past watched his Live Performances (Mylos Thessaloniki 2000 with Antonis Mitzelos, FIX Thesssaloniki 2002, Theatro Gis Thessaloniki 2002 with Tania Tsanaklidou with the Russian Presidential Orchestra in Mikis Theodorakis works) and i think that his voice is not proper for all kinds of songs as many of his admireers believe.. He is good in rock songs, ballads, soft melodic songs etc... but he has problems in some laika/rebetika or in even tin the Theodorakis songs i found his voice not proper to sing them! I think also he has some problems in his voice also: breath , not capable to do a good corona or something like that !! (he smokes a lot, however!)

On the other hand, Basis has a very good voice which sings very well laika/rebetika ktl but he can also sing very well ballads or love songs like the "The me thymitheis" of Giannis Parios (i listened to it by him in a Live Concert in Medousa of 1996, shown on TV) or "Spasmeno Karavi" and "Poia Nyxta S' Eklpepse" of Poulopoulos/Plessas (Medousa 2001).

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:(

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Your explanations are even better, Regnis. You take the right examples whereas I only write theory... :( Thanks a lot for your contribution.

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Very nice interview of Basis the other day on "I foni tis Elladas".

He spoke about his collaboration with Theodorakis and said he was very lucky to work with the last great Greek composer. He also said he had many doubts about the future of Greek music.

I wasn't very much impressed by his interpretation of some of Mikis' songs though... I prefer him in more "laika" songs.

Bithikotsis and Farantouri are the best for Theodorakis' songs. That's my experience of more than 30 years of careful listening to Mikis' songs which I "adore"... :music::music::music:

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