Vasilis Tsitsanis, the legend, was born on January 18, 1915 in Trikala of Thessalia. On the day of his birthday, in 1984 he expired in a London hospital, aged 69, from cancer. This year, however, marks 100 years sincehis birth and 30 years since his death.
His father was from Ioannina and his mother from Zagoria. Since he was little, he showed great interest in music and learned how to play the mandolin and the violin, and of course, the instrument which turned him into the man we all know and love to this day, the bouzouki. In one of his rare interviews in 1972, Tsitsanis said: “I can tell you how my great songs were born. When I wrote them, I had this flame, this love and sorrow, that when I finished the song, I imagined the whole world singing it. I hoped, within me, that the world would embrace and accept my songs”. His prayers were answered, and his songs are considered the pinnacle until today. From popular hangouts and taverns of the time, Vasilis Tsitsanis’ songs will now be heard in the Athens Concert Hall, where the great tribute to the 100th anniversary of his birth on the 20th and 21st of January, will take place.
Stavros Xarchakos will conduct the orchestra and Dimitra Galani and Eleftheria Arvanitaki will interpret his storied songs.
