Tribute to the Times of the Lovers (Stamatis Kraounakis, "Dying in Athens", 2006)

ow can a very bad movie be accompanied by an astonishing soundtrack? Honestly, I do not know. Still, these guys made it.

It was one of these unexpectedly rainy evenings that there is nothing better than jumping in a cinema that was on the way. Things like that happen in Athens. I remember coming out angry about the pictures I suffered for 103 minutes. However, I was singing all the way back home the song you 'll listen if you scroll down to this post.

Nikos Panayotopoulos - the director of the movie- did only one thing right. He asked Stamatis Kraounakis to make the soudtrack. Also, the theme of the movie was quite good. Although it was approached with a shockingly amateur way, so badly that you want to spit on the computer screen. It is supposed to deal with the last generation of "Lovers" (=Εραστές). People that met unexpectedly and fell in love - illegally.

Links:

1) Movie review

2) Watch the movie - no subtitles.

The artist

Stamatis Kraounakis. Born in Athens - check the brief wiki article.

The album

The song this post is about, is the first of the Soundtrack album. The movie failed so badly, that this soundtrack is one of the less known woks of St.Kraounakis. I may be proven wrong but in 10-20 years from now, I bet that this will be mentioned as one of his greatest achievements.

The song

The Lovers

Lyrics by Giorgos Makris

Vocals: Erofili, Rita Antonopoulou & Natassa Bofiliou

Music: Stamatis Kraounakis

Their time was soon up
and sadly they walked away
making steps formal and slow
having their gabardines all buttoned.

And we felt sorry about these lovers
and their small spinning around
their little world;
Dreaming to fold in warmer arms,
scratching the ground
with the peak of their umbrella.

You Came to See Me & Yet You Didn't (Ksembarkoi at Kavvadias' "Fog", 1986)

Nikos Kavvadias in 1934 (s/s Ionion 1934)

Nikos Kavadias wrote the poem. Born exactly 100 years ago on the 11th of January 1910, he died in 1975. During these 65 years, he travelled a lot -being a sailor, and he wrote beautiful poems that later on became beautiful songs. Some info about his life and works can be found here.

The first and most popular set of his poems to music was done by Thanos Mikroutsikos in 1979 with the album "The Southern Cross" (Ο Σταυρός του Νότου/ O Stavros tou Notou). Less known, the band Ksembarkoi (meaning... "left overs") made an other approach quite different than the first one with the album "S/S Ionion 1934" that was released in 1986. Simple intsrumentation, minimal and tense expression in vocals, nice melodies. Worth to listen to one of Kavvadia's most famous poems, as they set it to music. We are lucky to host a professional translation by Tefkros Simeonides (what a difference!).

Fog

poem: Nikos Kavvadias

music: Ksembarkoi

The fog fell with the evening
-- the lightship lost --
and you arrived unexpected
in the pilot-house to see me.

You are wearing all white and you're wet,
I'm plaiting your hair into ropes.
Down in the waters of Port Pegassu
It always rains this season.

The stoker is watching us
with both feet in the chains.
Never look at the antennas
in a storm; you'll get dizzy.

The boatswain curses the weather
and Tocopilla is so far away.
Rather than fearing and waiting
better at the periscope and the torpedo.

Go! You deserve firm land.

You came to see me and yet see me you didn't
I have since midnight drowned
a thousand miles beyond the Hebrides.

Relevant music links:

1) The sailor's prayers by Ksembarkoi, at the same album

2) Giannis Koutras sings amazingly Thanos Mikroutsiko's music and the poem "Woman" of the Album "Souther Cross".

3) Giannis Koutras sings the poem "Kuro Siwo", music: Thanos Mikroutsikos.