The Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis is one of the few living artists who represent a large section of the twentieth century. He is also one of the most contradictory personalities alive today. Resistance runs through his entire life. First resistance against Italian oppression, then against fascism in his own country, then resistance against an increasingly rigid communism, as he grew older it was the resistance of a conservative against pseudo-progressive globalization, and finally a permanent resistance against his own image. But precisely by constantly shrugging himself off, he has become truly himself and never became a pale shadow of his own past. Once he would have been called a troublemaker; if he were twenty again today he would be classified as a punk or anarchist. For all the political awareness in his art Theodorakis has preserved his delicate sense of poetry and imagination. “I have always pushed my limits, but at the same time I was always conscious of them. I composed knowing that the limits of human existence can only be overcome through imagination, inspiration, and intuition. And I acted on that. Art is the only thing so far that has conquered death. All those who tried to achieve immortality through violence, power, or money have failed. Immortality has no temporal dimension. It is a sign of quality, a strong feeling. Only art can communicate emotion of being immortal for three seconds."
