I imagine this second column entry will be read leisurely on a beach or in the cool shade of an awning. So, let’s write something that matches the mood…

This story became quite well-known when it happened. Not only among composers but generally in the field, and it stirred up a lot of comments. I heard it from my good friend and colleague, B. Kanas.

January 1993: Konstantinos Mitsotakis sends Mikis Theodorakis to ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation) with the title of Director of Musical Ensembles. The announcement of his appointment included a very broad and pompous range of responsibilities, most of which remained on paper. Because the truth was much more mundane. As Minister of State and Minister without Portfolio, Mikis was probably creating problems for that already fragile government. ERT was a good, expedient solution.

The appointment resulted in the Orchestra developing an overactivity with concerts and expensive tours in Greece and abroad. As is well known, there is always money for famous people. In these concerts, Theodorakis’s music, and especially Zorba, had the lion’s share.

At this point, Yiannis Markopoulos enters our story, going to ERT to protest. He is obviously not at all pleased with the situation and speaks to Mikis in his well-known torrential manner. How exactly he said it doesn’t really matter. He mainly protested that his own music was not being played. But the phrase that circulated and stuck is our title: “Mikis, you are Salieri.” Obviously, if one composer quarrels with another and calls him Salieri, it doesn’t take much imagination to figure out where he places himself…

This “Mozart syndrome” is not so rare, although few will admit it, and even fewer will express it so openly. Here I remember something the late Antoniou used to say about many members of the GCM (Greek Composers’ Union): “Most of them think they are Stravinskys” (sic).

But does this attitude ultimately have any consequences? It might sound strange, but I think it can also hold positive elements for the creator themselves. If someone believes they are so important, it goes without saying that they will push much harder and constantly look for ways to promote their work.

So, is the artist ultimately a “superior” human being? The beauty of Art and the ecstasy it evokes make us expect it, sometimes even demand it. But it is not at all like that, as we easily discover by perusing biographies. Peter Schaeffer exploits and highlights this contradiction in his work Amadeus, presenting Mozart as a super-talented creature who laughed at everyone and everything. I found the presentation very convincing and accurate, but it’s interesting how many viewers were shocked and disagreed with this portrayal in both the play and the film.

But as my friend and colleague M. Ch. Krithara says: “Talent does not build character.” On the contrary, it can even ruin it, I add…

Have a good rest of the summer!