File photo. [InTime News]
A concert honoring the work of acclaimed Greek poet Nikos Gatsos was disrupted after organizers said they had been denied permission to perform songs featuring Gatsos’ lyrics and music by the late composer Manos Hadjidakis.
The incident took place Sunday evening during singer Manolis Mitsias’ performance at the Hellenistic Theater of Dion in northern Greece. Before several songs were performed, organizers announced that Giorgos Hadjidakis, the adopted son and legal administrator of Manos Hadjidakis’ musical works, had not granted permission for their public performance.
Concert curator and Gatsos estate manager Agathi Dimitrouka told the audience that the refusal was linked to the fact that 2026 has been designated by the Culture Ministry as a commemorative year for Manos Hadjidakis, with events featuring his music already planned and approved by his son’s team.
Mitsias told the audience that, in more than five decades as a performer, it was the first time he had been unable to sing “Giannis o Fonias” (“Giannis the Murderer”), a song originally written for him to perform in 1976. Instead, he recited the lyrics.
The announcement prompted boos and cries of “Shame!” from some members of the audience.
Speaking later to music website Ogdoo.gr, Mitsias described the incident as “very sad,” saying he had grown artistically through the work of both Hadjidakis and Gatsos.
He said Dimitrouka had received a message from Hadjidakis’ side informing organizers that songs composed by Manos Hadjidakis could not be performed. Mitsias said he attempted to contact representatives to seek clarification but was unable to reach anyone.
“When I began reciting ‘Giannis o Fonias,’ the audience spontaneously started singing it, and immediately afterward they sang ‘Tsamikos,’ another Hadjidakis composition based on Gatsos’ poetry,” Mitsias said. “I could not accompany them. In the end, the people found the solution because these songs also belong to them.”
The decision was not the first time Hatzidakis’ estate has exercised control over the public use of the composer’s works, a practice that has previously sparked controversy.
Neither Giorgos Hadjidakis nor representatives of his office had publicly commented on the organizers’ account of the dispute.
