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Theodorakis 2005 - Photo: Guy Wagner
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It's now official: In an international jury meeting held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, it was decided to award the IMC UNESCO International Music Prize for 2005 to Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, who turned 80 this year.
The Prize consisting of a diploma, a cash award and a UNESCO medal, will be awarded on 4 November 2005 in the historic City of Aachen, Germany, host to the Prize since 1994, in the presence of representatives of the city, UNESCO and IMC.
In a career that spanned nearly all of Greece’s troubled post-war history, throughout which Theodorakis played a prominent role and was repeatedly incarcerated for his political beliefs, he also managed to transform and redefine popular Greek music with works like «Epitaph», «Axion Esti» and «Romiosyni».
A statement congratulating Theodorakis for winning the prize was by Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis. «In an age when the need to underline the ecumenical language of culture is more urgent than ever before, the decision of the IMC and UNESCO to grant the 2005 Music Prize to Mikis Theodorakis acquires particular content and symbolism. The music and songs of our great composer have accompanied and still accompany the daily lives and the great moments not just of our compatriots but of people and peoples all over the world. His constant struggles for freedom, social justice and human dignity rise above national boundaries and become a legacy for all humanity,» Karamanlis said.
See the official UNESCO-Site - The author of the photo is not mentioned.
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