Με αφορμή τα 90 χρόνια από τη γέννηση του μεγάλου λυράρη και ερμηνευτή, η μουσικοθεατρική παράσταση «Νίκος Ξυλούρης, ο Αρχάγγελος της Κρήτης» περιοδεύει από τον ερχόμενο Ιούνιο σε όλη την Ελλάδα. Η μεγάλη επιτυχία της Αθήνας παρουσιάστηκε όλο τον Χειμώνα στο θέατρο ΗΒΗ και χειροκροτήθηκε θερμά από σχεδόν 40.000 θεατές!
The text was written by Zacharena Petraki and is based on many years of research and archival material. It is directed by Nikorestis Haniotakis, artistic director of the Municipal and Regional Theater of Crete (DIPETHE), and produced by Stages Network and Athenian Theaters.
This is the first time that the life and work of this great Greek, the iconic artist Nikos Xylouris, are being presented on stage in a high-caliber production featuring a large cast and the participation of prominent figures from the worlds of theater and music.
The “Archangel of Crete,” as Psaronikos was known, comes to life on stage in a performance that combines live music, unpublished photographs, precious audio recordings, and narration. An immersive experience that brings together testimony, art, and emotion.
The work seeks to present Xylouris not only as a symbolic voice, but as the inner universe of a man who sang with the soul of a people. At the heart of the narrative lies his journey from Anogia and Crete during the Occupation to the bouzoukia of Athens and the pinnacle of his public presence, which became synonymous with the struggle, dignity, and hope of an entire era.
Audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy Xylouris’s iconic songs, in new arrangements by Andreas Katsigiannis, while the Cretan portion of the show is musically curated by Ross Daly!
Urania Xylouri, Nikos’s life partner and the guardian of his memory, has made a significant contribution to the final drafting of this text.
The performance brings to life key figures in the country’s artistic and cultural life, such as Jenny Karezi, Kostas Kazakos, Christos Leontis, and others. Of course, special mention is made of Nikos’s relationship with Stavros Xarchakos, which began with the landmark album “Dionysus, Our Summer” and evolved into a strong friendship.
A few words about the project
The performance traces the life and career of the great Cretan singer and lyre player Nikos Xylouris. We follow in the footsteps of the “Nightingale of Crete” from his childhood in Anogia during the German Occupation, to his triumphant performances in the Athenian nightclubs of the 1970s and his untimely death at the age of just 44.
Guided by the stories of his partner, Ourania Xylouri, and centered on the songs that defined an entire era, the performance not only captures the grandeur of his voice but also reveals—above all— the moral and spiritual weight of a figure who left an indelible mark on modern Greek culture.
A Few Words About Psaronikos
Nikos Xylouris was not merely a singer; he was the voice of a people seeking justice, light, and freedom. A lyre player with a soul as open as the horizon, who, through his music, awakened the senses, memories, and hopes. His music was like a fragrant meadow—a place where the senses dance and the soul breathes freely.
Without formal education or degrees, but with simplicity, integrity, and rare moral character, he stood up against every form of authority that oppressed people. Wherever he sang, an informal rebellion was born; for his voice did not submit, but rose up—with passion, courage, and boldness.
He was the one who revived the forgotten lyre in Heraklion, revived the tradition, and gave voice to the rizitika songs, which, through his own interpretation, gained prestige, universality, and a new vitality. All of Crete sang again, and with it… all of Greece.
The release of “Rizitika” in 1971—as arranged and orchestrated by Yannis Markopoulos—played a significant role in Xylouris’s career. “Pote tha kanei xasteria” ceased to be merely a traditional song and became a rallying cry, a call to action, a symbol. Our great composer symbolically used “Xasteria” as the album’s opening track and united the voices of the students at the historic concert of the Association of Cretans at the Sporting Stadium.
Psaronikos, taciturn and proud, gave his people moments that bordered on the mythical. He was the living embodiment of the Cretan spirit: genuine, upright, and brave. He believed unwaveringly that if Greece could cast off its misery and decay, the light of its true treasures would shine forth.
He became a symbol of resistance against the junta and fascism. In fact, he was present at the Polytechnic uprising, where he sang “Xasteria” alongside the students. He never fit into any mold. He took the light of the island and blended it with poetry, artistic exploration, and the traditions of other cultures, creating something authentic, new, deeply Greek, and universal all at once.
Xylouris did not sing to impress. He created sacred moments, a deep connection with his audience. He transformed sound into memory and performance into prayer. He was the one who transformed pain into strength, silence into passion, and life into art.
He was the man who, despite his fame, always longed to return to the peaks of Psiloritis; an artist who turned his gaze away from the noise and vanity of the world. As he himself used to say:
“I weep with sorrow; I reflect with pain,
because everything is in vain in this deceitful world where I am…”
Today, in a world thirsting for substance and truth, the work of Nikos Xylouris stands as a beacon. It is an oasis of refined aesthetics, a source of inspiration, a bridge between yesterday and tomorrow. His legacy is a cornerstone of culture and a means of communication between peoples and generations.
Because, as he himself sang:
“We do not sing
to set ourselves apart, my brother, from the world.
We sing
to bring the world together.”
15 minutes before the start of each performance, the short film “Psaronikos’s Childhood in Anogia” is screened.
Roles and Cast of the Film:
Eleftheria Xylouri: Peggy Trikalioti
Psarogiorgis: Michalis Aerakis
Dayantas: Aris Lembesopoulos
Menelaos Dramountanis: Thanasis Kourlambas
Skoulas: Nikos Karageorgis
Kids:
Psaronikos: Seraphim Gouvras
Giorgantos: Iasonas Roussos
Tough Guy: Maximos Grigoratos
Polomanolis: Alkis Michailidis
Little England: Maria Kasarchou
The production is presented under the auspices of the Regional Theater of Crete.
Group Reservations Department: 2111026277 & 210 2117240 ext. 305 ( weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.) – email: [email protected]
