M. L. Kappa

March Q&A – the musician

Emerging opera singer Marilena Chrisochoidi kindly took the time to answer questions about her life and career. She has lately appeared in the opera The Merry Widow in the role of Olga, and she stars in Andonis Karatzikis’s new opera, Eleni. She is also rehearsing for concerts featuring Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’ and Charpentier’s ‘Te Deum’.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I was born in Athens but my family originates from Asia Minor. I’ve known since childhood that the only thing I wanted to do in my life was music and singing. I started playing the piano in primary school, then I went to a musical high school. I was taught the piano, the santur (a kind of zither) and the tambourás (a kind of traditional stringed instrument that developed into the bouzouki) both at school and at the Conservatory. My love for the piano and even more, the santur, contributed in winning prizes and scholarships. In high school I started taking voice lessons at the Conservatory, which led me to study opera. After school I exclusively studied monody (lessons in opera) and I watched every opera performance I could. My melodrama teacher at the Conservatory encouraged me to study theatre and so I graduated from the Karolos Koun Art Theatre Drama School, while at the same time getting my diploma in monody. Today I teach the zither and voice lessons in conservatories while taking my first steps as a soloist and an actor in opera and theatre.

What were the major difficulties you’ve faced in the last five years?

I’d say the main difficulties are of a financial nature, since in our discipline you know you have work for the current month but the following you’re unemployed and waiting for the next concert or performance. At the same time, taxation for freelancers is hard to bear.

Did anyone in particular inspire you or help you?

The work and the collaborations within it are in themselves a source of inspiration, while the rhythm of performances helps you escape from the difficulties of reality and the problems of daily life. It’s important that the arts continue to evolve in difficult times and that we promote culture and civilization.

What are your hopes/plans for the future?

My aim is to continue doing what I love and to keep improving, with the objective not only to be emotionally uplifted by my art but also to contribute to its safeguard and development.

What are your hopes for Greece? What changes do you hope to see happen?

The difficulties of the Greek situation are clear to me. However, I hope the Greek people will manage to resurrect themselves from the ashes as they so well know how, so that there will be space for a cultural renaissance beyond the improvement of daily life, and so that as a country we can prove worthy of our cultural inheritance. I also wish for the refugees who arrive on our shores a rapid end to the agonizing struggle for survival they experience daily. I hope that Greece will prove to have been an aid in their future lives.

Have you considered leaving? If so, where would you like to go, and why?

I have not decided to leave Greece permanently. However, international activities promote the career and development of an artist. Therefore, I too try to find collaborations in countries where opera is flourishing.

Are you actively doing anything to help with the situation? Is there something you would like to do?

All contemporary artists in Greece are contributing in concrete ways to the continuity of art, by investing emotionally and practically, given the low level and erratic frequency of compensation. I consider the organization of an increasing number of charitable performances and concerts all over the country of extreme importance, both for the support of the vulnerable and for the diffusion of art in general.

How do you see Greece in 5, 10 years?

The truth is that the future seems difficult. But it is up to us to reverse this trend with hard work, humanitarian and cultural education, solidarity and fundamental change. Our people must regain the sense of pride they had in the past and stop trying to be a pale copy of western civilization. Greece is a country full of treasures from coast to coast. I consider it imperative to exploit our material riches (products and foods with controlled designation of origin) as well as our cultural riches (theatre, education, archaeological heritage). Surely this would make for a strong start.

A poster from one of her shows — A poster from one of the shows Marilena performed in

How do you cope with obstacles and frustrations in your everyday life ?

I try not to let the difficulties I meet be an obstacle to my objectives. I prefer to focus on pleasant events from which I draw joy and strength to go on.

What are the positive sides of living in Greece? Have you had any good experiences lately?

Greeks continue to fight at all levels, showing exemplary patience and faith. Despite the difficulties due to the drop in living standards, there’s always a spark of optimism. That is the positive side of life in Greece. In And in my own discipline, we also remain active while keeping our standards high.

Happy Birthday, Yayoi Kusama!

I’m a fan of Yayoi Kusama’s psychedelic eccentricity and gaily polka-dotted work. The Japanese artist is 87 today, and for the past 20 years has been living in a Tokyo mental hospital, from where she has continued to produce artworks in a variety of mediums, as well as launching a literary career by publishing several novels, a poetry collection and an autobiography.
She famously said: “My art originates from hallucinations only I can see.”

Yayoi Kusama, Love is Calling (2013) Image: M_Strasser via Flickr Creative Commons

In the sixties, Yayoi Kusama was part of the New York avant-garde scene, having her works exhibited alongside the likes of Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg and George Segal.

Yayoi Kusama, Gleaming Lights of the Souls (2008) Photo: Jim Dyson/Getty Images

In her honor, Artnet News has published a lovely article entitled:

14 Yayoi Kusama Quotes on Her 87th Birthday (Article by Alyssa Buffenstein)

You can find it here. (I borrowed the photographs from them, many thanks.)

Yayoi Kusama, Infinite Obsession (2013) Photo: YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images

March 25th: celebrating the Annunciation and the War of Independence

One of our main national celebrations in Greece is March 25, which commemorates the start of the 1821 Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Empire, a revolt whose motto was the cry “Freedom or death.”

Following the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Greece remained under Turkish occupation for four centuries. After a number of unsuccessful attempts at revolt, the War of Independence started in 1821. Despite many reversals, this would lead to the establishment of a Greek sovereign state with the London Protocol of 1830, signed by England, France and Russia – the allies who intervened to help win the war. The Greek struggle had elicited strong sympathy in Europe, and many leading intellectuals had promoted the Greek cause, including the English poet Lord Byron. At the naval Battle of Navarino, the combined British, French, and Russian forces destroyed the Ottoman-Egyptian fleet.

In 1838 King Otto, the first king of the new state, declared the beginning of the revolution was to be commemorated each year on March 25th with a national holiday; celebrations were held in the presence of the heroes of the revolution, who were eulogized by the crowds. Fires were lit on the Acropolis, a service was held in the church of Saint Irene and a flaming cross placed on mount Lycabettus.

The day was chosen to coincide with the Greek Orthodox Church’s celebration of the Annunciation to the Theotokos (Mother of God), when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and told her that she would bear the son of God.

The blessing of the revolutionary flag – Theodoros Vryzakis(1819-1878) – Oil on canvas

On this day, towns and villages throughout Greece hold a school flag parade, during which schoolchildren march in traditional Greek costume and carry Greek flags. There is also an armed forces parade in Athens.
In folk tradition, the day also marks the beginning of spring and the return of the swallows. And of course, there is a special dish to go with all this: μπακαλιάρος σκορδαλιά (bakaliaros skordalia), cod fried in a beer batter and accompanied by a garlic sauce, made with potato, olive oil and sometimes walnuts. During Lent, fish is only allowed twice, on March 25th and on Palm Sunday. On the islands people cook fresh cod, but elsewhere it is usually the custom to use salt cod, which was introduced in Greece in the 15th century. You will find a recipe here, and I can vouch it is delicious.

Fast(ing) Food

To a lot of people Lent means giving up something they love, such as meat, or chocolate, or cigarettes. It’s all about self-denial. In the Greek Orthodox religion there are strict rules that govern fasting around religious holidays. For example, the week before Clean Monday and the beginning of Lent is called the Cheese-eater (Τυροφάγου – Tyrofagou): in order to start cleansing the body and preparing it for Lent, you give up meat but are still allowed dairy products. Then during the 40 days of Lent there are some days when olive oil is allowed and others not, culminating in Agia Evdomada (Αγία Εβδομάδα – Holy Week) which is the week before Easter and the strictest of all.

One of my favourite Lent dishes, artichokes with broad beans

People follow these rules more or less strictly, depending on their upbringing, personality and circumstances. Some believe in self-denial and make do with a couple of boiled potatoes or lentils boiled in water. But the human spirit tends to find ways to make the best of things; and so a whole cuisine has blossomed around the Lent fast. These foods are called Nistisima (νηστίσιμα) in Greek.

On Clean Monday only, bakers make lagana, a special unleavened flat bread, light and crusty, sprinkled with sesame seeds. The origins of the bread and its name are lost in the depths of time, but it goes great with the ubiquitous taramosalata , a dip made of salted and cured cod’s roe, whipped with breadcrumbs or boiled potato, olive oil and lemon juice.

Dolma – Delicious rice balls wrapped in vine leaves, and a bowl of taramosalata.

The menu also comprises seafood like cuttlefish, octopus, shrimp and mussels, which can be simply grilled and served with oil and lemon, or braised with tomatoes and mixed with rice or pasta. There are black-eyed beans, spicy giant beans baked with tomato, and dolma, rice wrapped in vine leaves; loads of vegetable dishes in various combinations, and lovely fresh salads.

As for dessert, again we have developed many recipes for cakes and cookies that conform to the rules (no dairy). And there is always χαλβάς (halvas) similar to the Arabic “halwa”, which is made of tahini, sesame paste, and sugar, to which are sometimes added pistachio nuts or cocoa. This you buy ready-made at the baker’s or supermarket and it is served sliced thinly, sometimes accompanied by slices of apple sprinkled with cinnamon. It is extremely sweet, and so nourishing it could sustain polar explorers on their journeys!

Peppers stuffed with vegetables and rice

The monastic life entails many days of fasting (the monks never eat meat), and so it is not surprising that monks are adept at this cuisine. Monks can make as brilliant cooks as anyone, and I’ve heard plenty of stories of memorable meals eaten by people visiting Mount Athos in particular. Mount Athos is an autonomous monastic state within the Hellenic Republic, where 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries are home to over 2,000 monks from Greece and other countries.

They live an ascetic life, isolated from the world, but they get a lot of visitors: some are on a religious pilgrimage, others come because of the extraordinary beauty of the monasteries and the nature surrounding them. Many are interested in the rich collections of well-preserved artifacts, rare books, ancient documents, and artworks of immense historical value. Finally there are people who want to sample what they see as the simple life, even for a short while.
Unfortunately no women are allowed within the borders of Agion Oros (the Holy Mountain), as it is called. But I looked up their fascinating site and found a whole recipe book of Nistisima in both Greek and English, with accompanying photographs.

This image can be used for personal use only. No commercial use allowed. — Chickpeas with aubergines

There is a huge selection and most recipes are quite simple to prepare, although the translation can be slightly excentric (but use your imagination, people!) I encourage everyone to browse, (click here), but I have copied a couple of the recipes as a sampler.

Fava

Fava

Ingredients:

500 gr. of split yellow peas
1/5 litre of water
1 onion
2 potatoes
2 peppers
salt
1 tea cup of olive oil
4-5 fresh chopped onions
1 bunch of chopped dill or oregano
some lemon juice

Put the split peas, the water, the chopped onion, the potatoes, the chopped peppers and half of the oil in a pressure cooker.
When they have softened, blend. Put in a serving plate and sprinkle with the fresh chopped onions and the dill or oregano. Pour over a little oil and lemon. Serve warm or cold, with bread.

Semolina Cake
Ingredients: ½ cup tahini – ¾ cup water – ¼ cup lemon juice – 2 cups sugar – 1 cup orange juice – 1 cup water – 1 teaspoon cinnamon – ½ teaspoon carnation (they mean powdered cloves!) – 3 ½ cups semolina – 1 cup blanched almonds.

For the syrup: 3 cups sugar – 2 ½ cups of water – 1 tablespoon lemon juice – 2 cinnamon sticks. Preparation: Beat tahini and ¾ cup water with the lemon juice until it turns white. Successively add sugar, orange juice, water, cinnamon, carnation (cloves) and mixing the semolina mixture. Pour into pan (40×35 cm) and sprinkle almonds over the surface. Bake at 180 degrees for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the syrup by boiling all the ingredients together until thickened. Let cool and as soon as the semolina pie comes out of the oven, pour over immediately.

The monks even have an e-shop selling various products. Their recipes are full of good ideas for vegetarians, but also for everyone else. All the photographs are from their site.

Clean Monday: a sky full of kites

The pall of smoke hanging over Greek towns due to the Tsiknopempti meat orgy has hardly dispersed and people are already thinking about the next feast, on Clean Monday (Καθαρά Δευτέρα – Kathara Deftera). It is a moveable feast, which this year falls on March 14. Ironically, it marks the beginning of the 40-day fast for Lent, Σαρακοστή (Sarakosti). However, the need to avoid a wide range of foods (meat, fish, all dairy products and eggs) has spurred gourmets and cooks over the centuries into developing delicious recipes called nistisima (fasting foods) of which more details in another post.

A feast of lagana bread, octopus, calamari, shrimp, mussels, beans, olives, tarama and wine

For the devout, Clean Monday—and thus Lent itself—begins on Sunday night, at a special service called Forgiveness Vespers, which culminates with the Ceremony of Mutual Forgiveness. Everyone present will bow down before one another and ask forgiveness, so they can begin Lent with a clean conscience and renewed Christian love. The entire first week of Great Lent is often referred to as “Clean Week”, and it is customary to go to confession during this week, and also to springclean the house – after all, Clean Monday also marks the beginning of spring.

Clean Monday is a public holiday in Greece and Cyprus, where it it is celebrated with outdoor excursions, and family gatherings whose main purpose is the consumption of elaborate dishes mainly based on seafood and vegetables.

However, the day is not only associated with eating, but also features many traditional celebrations held all over Greece. Municipalities organize concerts and other festivities with free food on offer. In the Borough of Athens, Clean Monday is traditionally celebrated on Philopappos, a hill situated southwest of the Acropolis. A beautiful 173-acre park, it is home to many indigenous birds and small animals, and open to all at all times of day or night.

Different municipalities have their own local customs, but there is one tradition that is followed all over the country: kite flying. Young people and adults flock to open areas, so as to fill the skies with their kites. Many traditional workshops have been involved in making kites for over 70 years, although in many instances the wooden kites have sadly been replaced by plastic ones. Every kiosk, supermarket and toy shop stocks kites for Clean Monday – there are even roadside stalls selling them.

In my childhood, making your own kite was considered a very manly pursuit in some households. Fathers and uncles would carefully choose and cut their own bamboo sticks, split them lengthwise with their penknives and fashion them into a hexagonal frame with string. Over this would go glacé paper in bright colours (often in the colours of the maker’s favourite team), and then ‘ears’ and a tail made out of strips of paper. The trick was for the kite to have good equilibrium so that it would fly straight and true. A few balls of sturdy string would be carefully wound in a figure eight over a stout stick and the kite would be ready to go.

Since Clean Monday is a communal affair, fierce competition ensues over the flying of the kites. Depending on the assembled company, I remember times when us kids would not be allowed near the kites. No, this was a man’s job, involving much drinking and banter, as well as practical jokes. There were – and still are – air battles where people try to get other kites entangled in their string in order to bring them down – some even resort to sending razor blades up the string to try and cut the competitors’ kites loose!

Despite yearly warnings by the Electricity Company, a number of kites always end up on the cables, where they remain for weeks, looking increasingly forlorn.

Sunday Blues

I bought the tulips at the supermarket and stuck them in a vase. They were so yellow and cheerful, I was inspired to make this quick sketch, which somewhat improved my mood after the perusal of the Sunday papers.

Front page article – Greece’s place in some world rankings. We suck almost everywhere.
Competitivity? 81st place, after Uruguay (No. 1 is Switzerland).
Government effectiveness? 66th, after the Seychelles.
Functioning of institutions and development of the private sector? 74th after Panama.
Dealing with corruption? 102nd after Serbia.
Student performance? 43rd after Israel (China is top here.)

Even more pitiful is that our highest place (6th) is for child poverty percentages. So sad.

Meanwhile the ugly battle around the refugee crisis continues. With the closing of the borders, traffickers have been emboldened again – some even advertise on Facebook. There is also a thriving market in fake passports and identity papers. Alongside the stories of assistance from the Greek people (invitations to meals, taxi drivers who refuse to be paid, offers of hospitality in people’s homes) there are as many stories of exploitation (the government has had to impose a basic price for necessities such as bottled water and bread, with big fines for those who disobey) and instances of racism and anger against the refugees.
Criminality is bound to rise, and there are already instances of fights and robbery amongst the refugees themselves.

There was an article about the Turks who are accused of not doing enough; but they are swamped as well. There have been 150.000 births from Syrian parents in the last four years on Turkish soil. The government lacks the resources to provide for even the basic needs of these people, who are obliged to fend for themselves as best they can.

Both Greece and Turkey keep insisting that it’s an impossible task to close their borders. Turkey’s border with Syria and Iraq is more than 1.500 km long, and Greece’s borders are either islands with miles of coastline or very mountainous and difficult to guard.
As long as the message that is filtering down is ‘Keep coming, you will find a way,’ the flow will not stop. And, looking at photograph of whole streets of totally bombed out apartment buildings in Syria, I fail to see how it possibly can.
Countries, starting with Turkey, are negotiating systems of checks and balances and asking for returns for every measure they take; however, the only possible solution is if everyone works towards a common goal. But even that has yet to be defined.

Other news included the Brexit, the American election campaign, the corruption scandal at FIFA, the terrible crisis in dry cargo shipping, the government’s negotiations with the ‘Troika’ regarding our debt, and the further increase in taxes.

I’ve a good mind to confine myself to fiction in the future…

A carnivore’s feast day

The word tsikna (τσίκνα) means ‘pungent smoke from grilled meats’ – it’s what your clothes smell like when you return from a taverna or barbecue. Today is Tsiknopempti (Τσικνοπέμπτη) – literally the ‘Thursday of grilled meat smoke’, a Greek tradition beloved by all carnivores, since it entails an orgy of grilled meats.

We are now in the middle of the three weeks of Apokries (Απόκριες – Carnival) preceding Lent and a fast of 40 days before Easter. Little kids in fancy dress can be seen walking in the streets, on their way to various parties. Tonight people will either descend upon tavernas – better reserve, since even your local is bound to be overbooked – or congregate in homes around someone (usually a man) priding himself on his barbecuing skills.
Every full-blooded Greek considers the Tsiknopempti feast his unalienable right, not to be spoilt by any vegetarian, cardiologist or fish-eater.

The menu on offer usually comprises the following:

*Burgers, kebabs, sausages, lamb and pork cutlets, and steaks. Maybe chicken pieces.
The meat has to be top class and seasoned with salt, pepper and oregano. It will be accompanied by: Cut lemons to be squeezed over according to taste. Tzatziki – a yogurt and garlic sauce. Mustard, ketchup and mayo.

*Fries. They have to be home cut and cooked in olive oil.

*Salads. A xoriatiki (Greek salad) with tomato, cucumber, plenty of onions, and tons of feta cheese. A green salad for freshness. A shredded cabbage and carrot salad dressed with olive oil and lemon.

*Bread – pita and slices of country loaf, brushed with olive oil, grilled and sprinkled with oregano.

*Plenty to drink. Beer, of course; wine, red and white (some like retsina, a white whine flavored with pine resin – a strong, old-fashioned, acquired taste); ouzo, raki and other spirits.

*A selection of desserts, the sweeter the better. Baklava full of nuts and drenched in honey syrup, something chocolate.

All of this engenders a lot of discussion and theory:

-I see you didn’t go to the butcher I told you about.
-Do we have enough coal?
-Have you lit the coal? We don’t want to eat at midnight.
-If the meat is good enough, it doesn’t need marinating.
-No, no, pancetta should be marinated in beer.
-Don’t be stingy with the salt and pepper.
-Or with the garlic in the tzatziki.
-The sausages have to be eaten first.
-Someone has to be in charge of the fries.
-Someone has to keep the cook supplied with drink.
-Someone has to praise the cook.

Suggestion: Better lay in a supply of antacids for after dinner and/or plan a week’s detox.

But, meanwhile, Kali Orexi! (Καλή Όρεξη – Bon Appetit)

The images are from the oneman.gr blog which has a very amusing article on Tsiknopempti, for those who speak Greek.

A ban on high-powered kettles – seriously?

This morning I came upon the following text in one of the papers:

“BRUSSELS is temporarily abandoning plans to ban high-powered kettles and toasters to avoid giving anti-EU campaigners fresh ammunition in Britain’s “Brexit” referendum, it has emerged.
The decision to shelve the plans until after the vote on June 23 comes as Brussels tries to minimise its reputation for meddling in voters’ lives.”

There followed someone’s description of the new, Eco-friendly toasters: “I think I must have bought a Euro-toaster, I have to put the bread in five times and it’s still pale and pasty. Perhaps it’s powered by windmills. And the kettle? Watching a kettle boil has never been so boring.”

People of Brussels, it’s time to get your priorities straight. Europe is crumbling, splitting at the seams. There are huge issues requiring immediate solutions if catastrophe is to be averted. Schengen ? The refugee crisis? The euro? The whole fiscal/legal framework ? There’s plenty to choose from.

And yet, instead of working flat out on those, they are wasting time banning local cheeses for not being pasteurized enough, or forbidding Italian farmers from putting (natural) chlorophyll in those delicious huge green olives (I was told this by the man in the local deli – he also cannot get his customers’ favorite anchovy paste any more, because it had some ‘forbidden’ ingredient – which people have been consuming for umpteen years, meanwhile.)

No wonder the Brits are thinking of getting out. I will not debate the merits of this, I’m not informed enough to have an opinion; but OK, people, get your priorities right. European taxpayers are paying fat salaries to endure nitpicking and PC meddling in their affairs, while serious issues are left unsolved.

Landscapes

Is this the country that is crumbling about our ears?
Looking at this prosperous, well-ordered landscape, it seems hard to believe.

And yet. Tractors are blocking the main roads at great cost to our stricken economy. Farmers are in endless dispute with the government who are finding it hard to negotiate with them, seeing as they were the ones who encouraged them in the first place.

As for the refugee situation, what is there to say? Everyone has seen the news. Our European ‘allies’ are in panic mode – the order of the day is sauve qui peut. Countries are looking to their own interests and repeated conferences and summits fail to come to any sort of agreement. Even measures that were supposedly ratified have not been implemented. Greece is making huge efforts but, unfortunately, it is too little, too late.

My friend Christina took these photographs on a road trip to Pelasgia, in Central Greece.

The view through Harold’s lens

In my last post, Greece – through Harold’s lens, I showcased some of the wonderful photographs he took of Greece. Today I will post the remaining ones he sent me, since I found it impossible to leave any out.

I urge everyone to check out his blog, Through Harold’s lens. Harold travels widely, and has a very personal take on things. I especially love his portraits. Sometimes he even writes poetry to go with them.

These pictures of Greece remind me of an earlier, simpler time – Greece in the 50s and 60s. A more remote, more romantic country. This Greece still exists today, alongside the modern country with street art, cutting-edge technology and European problems. It exists in the countryside, in the villages, in the poorer neighbourhoods of cities. And of course the temples and monuments are timeless.

I discovered, by chance, an interview Harold gave in the blog Global From Home. A must for anyone interested in his methods – I especially liked his explanations of how he approaches strangers in order to take their photograph. (Click on the name to read the interview.)