Manos Hadjidakis’ House Restored for Public

Greece Is | April 8th, 2016

Greece IsIn The NewsCULTURE & LIFESTYLEMuseums

The composer's residence in Xanthi has been renovated to serve as a museum and cultural center

The house of internationally acclaimed Greek composer, Manos Hadjidakis, has been turned into a cultural center and museum in his birthplace of Xanthi, northeastern Greece.

Hadjidakis was one of the country’s most beloved composers, breaking ranks with the conservative music world in 1948 to praise the traditional music form of rembetika at a time when it was looked down upon as the preserve of the lower classes, the underworld and delinquents.

He began his music career writing pieces for theater and stage shows, before moving onto Greek cinema. It was through this direction that he won an Academy Award for his composition, Never on a Sunday, from the eponymous movie starring Melina Mercouri, which became an international hit.

Hadjidakis continued to compose while in exile during Greece’s military dictatorship and until his death in 1994, aged 68.

The neoclassical home in Xanthi, where the composer was born and raised, underwent extensive restorations under the supervision of the district authorities of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace. Built in 1895, the building lies in the old city of Xanthi and is classified as a historical monument.

A statement released by the authorities declared that the restoration was carried out with the support and assistance of the artist’s relatives and friends in order to respect his life and work in the best possible way.

District Commissioner George Pavlidis of the prefecture of Eastern Macedonia-Thrace told Greece Is that the building will operate as a multipurpose art and thought space. “This was an idea of mine since 2000, when Hadjidakis was nominated as one of the great personalities from the region of Xanthi.” he said.

“His nomination was a chance to take ownership of the building, where Hadjidakis was born on the second floor. The building was in a terrible state and needed a lot of work. After four years of effort, the ownership was transferred to the prefecture. I, myself, launched the architectural competition for the work on the building, because this building is a very rare example of the architecture of the region and needed to be respected and preserved.” said Mr Pavlidis.

The house will serve as a cultural center and will host conferences, meetings, readings, presentations, workshops and other artistic performances throughout the year.

A permanent exhibition of memorabilia, including publications, photographs and other articles from the life and works of the musician will also be housed on-site. The inauguration of the house will take place on April 17, 2016, and the center will be open year-round to visitors.

“The house will serve as a cultural center and will host conferences, meetings, readings, presentations, workshops and other artistic performances throughout the year.”