The great composer, musician and virtuoso pianist died a week before his 100th birthday, Mimi Plessas.
His wife, Loukila Carrer Plessa, announced the sad news with a post on social media.
“And suddenly “A deep silence fell…”…..”And you will not be by my side Star of my Life…..” ….you will always be inside and protect me from then…..until we meet again. my soul “So many summers have passed…fires rained down upon our arms” in this shared journey of LIFE that has come to an end until we rise up and do it again…. Grateful for everything…. Thank you for everything…. I love you forever…..Because love has no expiration date. Have a good trip my soul….. Happy Adamosis”, wrote Lucila Carrer Plessa in her cheerful post.
One of the most important and productive Greek composers, a he ran the gamut from jazz and light music to artistic country singing and major musical forms with easeMimis Plessas stood out from a very young age with his talent, in Greece but also internationally.
His success will be unforgettable “If I refuse you my love”, “That morning in Kifissia”, “What did I do to you and you drink”, “So much summer”, “Who knows”, “The beads”, “But now my love” , “Myrsini puts on the whites”, “I want you tonight”, “Don’t talk to the child”, “If you see the moon”, “Our first night”, “Get drunk tonight my girl” , “The First Time”, “The Kisses”, ‘Fall Deep Silence’, ‘A Thousand Nights’, ‘The Boy’s Heart’, ‘I’ll Drink the Moon Tonight’, ‘Sunday Dawn’, ‘Girl Stop and Tell You ‘, ‘I’m all’, ‘I’m a woman of pleasure’, ‘Over to the old days’, ‘The first time’, ‘I cried yesterday’, ‘Melt my candle’, ‘You want me and you drive me”, “Days of summer”, “I was found in the sun” and many more.
His life and course
Mimis Plessas who was born on October 12, 1924 in Athens. At the age of 15 he was the first piano soloist at the then National Radio Foundation. He studied at the Leonteio Lyceum and then studied at the School of Physics and Mathematics at the University of Athens. He did postgraduate studies in Chemistry in the United States of America, where in 1952, while still a young pianist, he was awarded the first music prize of the University of Minnesota, and the following year he was the fifth pianist in the USA.
In 1952 he also began his career as a composer and from 1956 as a director and composer. He was internationally renowned seven times (Barcelona 1960, Warsaw 1962, Belgium 1963, Italy (Alto Monte) 1964, USA 1965, Paris 1968 and Tokyo 1970)) and six times in our country (Athens and Thessaloniki 1959, 1963, 1964 and 1967). He has conducted major orchestras around the world with his work.
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His artistic activity and composition it covers all areas of music, theatre, film, radio and television. He has collaborated with many famous singers (Zoi Kourouklis, Nana Mouschouri, Tzeni Vanou, Giovanna, Marinela, Rena Koumiotis, Yiannis Vogiatzis, Yiannis Poulopoulos, Tolis Voskopoulos, Stratos Dionysiou, etc.), many of whom he has impressed through his songs. He has been honored several times with platinum and gold discs, and with his work “The Road” (with lyrics by L. Papadopoulos) he has undoubtedly the first place in the Greek discography.
Mimis Plessas dealt with him musical composition in cinema and theatrewho has more than 100 films and dozens of shows to his credit. He also wrote the music and songs for the TV series “The Children of Niobe”. He was the producer of the historic radio show “In 30 Seconds” which was an award-winning information show in the 1960s – 1970s. He was also a member of the Hellenic Society of Dramatists, the Lyricists Society of Greece, ERGIM. (contemporary music) and many other art clubs. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Patras (2010) and a doctorate in Chemistry from Cornell University, USA.
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In 1993 he wrote the music for a play based on George Orwell’s book “Animal Farm” presented at the National Theater under the direction of D. Potamitis and in 1998 he completed the People’s Opera “Zeus” with a libretto by Yiannis Kalamitsis. In 1999, to a libretto by Iakovos Avlitis, he completed the oratorio “Cosmas the Aetolos, the Saint of Slaves”, which was presented in 2002 at the Athens Concert Hall. In 2007, his compositions were recorded in the USA, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and Spain, with important performers, soloists and groups. In 2009, at the Veakeio Theatre, he created a special concert dedicated to “Voice”, after being commissioned by the International Organization for Speech Therapy and Phonology (IALP), with artists from all musical genres. In 2010, Fide Koksal translated his songs into Turkish and the album “BRIDGES” was released in Greece and Turkey.
In 2011 he gave two concerts as a tribute to his entire workentitled “Timeless Songs”, with 23 performers and actors, music ensemble, jazz groups and choir, at the Badminton Theatre. In 2012 he presented a “journey” of his journey from jazz to his songs at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall and the same year at the Komotini Concert Hall, with the participation of important performers, a “journey” of his journey from jazz to his songs related to the big screen. In 2016, on the 50th anniversary of his appearance in the discography with the album “Date in the Air” for the film of the same name with Yiannis Dalianidis, he presented his last complete work “Diaphanos Stavros” with Thanos Olympios as the performer. Their album went platinum. In 2022 he created his official orchestra: the “Mimi Plessas Orchestra”.
Foto. Facebook/ Mimis Plessas
Mimis Plessas he was honored several times in Greece and abroadalthough he had received many gold and platinum records. In Greece, among many other awards, the Municipality of Athens honored him in the year 2000 for his 50 years of contribution to Greek music and culture by presenting the “City’s Gold Medal” to a major symphonic concert at the Athens Concert Hall. Hall, and in 2001 the President of the Republic Kostis Stefanopoulos awarded him the Golden Cross of the Order of the Phoenix for his contribution to culture. In addition, the Ministry of Culture honored him in 2002 for his 50 years in the Greek music world at Herodeion, in 2004 as “Man of the Year” by the Minister of Culture at the personality ceremony for what he did in the world. culture and in 2005 with the assignment of the opening concert at Féile na Aithne to celebrate the institution’s 50 years. In 2006 the Academy of Personalities honored him for his contribution to culture and in 2007 the Patriarch Bartholomew with the Grand Cross of St. Andrew in a special event at the Patriarchate.
With his wife Lucilla Carrer they had a daughter in 1998. His son from a previous marriage is also the music composer Antonis Plessas.