Nikos Maliaras

'''If someone can support his inner world through art, if he can find a way out and a meaning in his life beyond his living, then he can overcome any kind of problems. Thus art, the role of intellectual people and any form of education are very important in times of difficulty, without having less importance in times of prosperity''. Nikos Maliaras

Nikos Maliaras is committed to offering a better education, working with great humility and tireless passion, making a significant contribution to the culture of our country. He is a musicologist, professor at the Musicology Faculty in the Kapodistrian University of Athens in the field of Historical and Systematic Musicology, as well as an ancient Greek teacher.

With his own funding and support, as well as with the direct contribution of the esteemed conductor Byron Fidetzis, they founded the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, which was established 6 years ago and still works with great success promoting great works by Greek composers who have been ignored by the state. They also helps many musicians, especially young ones to find work.

I had the pleasure and honor to have a remarkable conversation with him, in which he himself introduced the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra and defined its development. He also gives us the impetus to reflect on the inestimable value that art has to our everyday life, to our society and to ourselves.

Giota Eftaxia: Mr. Maliara, it’s a great honour and pleasure for me and the whole team of Radio Art to have this interview with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Nikos Maliaras: Thank you, too.

G.E.: You are the inspirer and the founder of the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, a professional symphony orchestra established in November 2016. Its’ aim is to artistically approach and promote classical music Greek composers. What made you decide to establish this orchestra?

N.M.: I am the inspirer, but not alone. I collaborate with my friend, colleague and artistic director of the Athens Philharmonia Orhestra Byron Fidetzis, who is a very experienced conductor. He has a 50 years old career, during which has held many leading positions in state orchestras in Greece and abroad. To me the decisive factor of the foundation of the orchestra was the fact that Greek art music is unfortunately neglected by the Greek state and its institutions, whilst should be exact the opposite. The Greek state should promote and support it. Through a long collaboration with Byron Fidetzis for the publication of a particular work by a Greek composer Pavlos Carrer, we discussed at length. He shared his experience with me and we both realized how neglected Greek art music is. We know very well that in no other country in the whole world classical music is as popular as popular songs, rock or pop music. It’s always needed government support and even more in Greece, where there isn’t as much tradition as in other Europian countries.
So we found that the orchestras and in general the state institutions, as well as the Ministry of Culture, do not promote Greek music as much as they should, compared to other European countries, which after all are not richer than Greece and which promote their music all over the world. Therefore, it's not a matter of history, tradition, poverty or wealth. It's a matter of the state. So, Byron Fidetzis and I came to the conclusion that this doesn’t happen to the extent that it should and decided to establish an orchestra that would focus on discovering, researching and performing the works of Greek composers.

G.E.: In a period that not enough attention is paid to spiritual culture and culture in general and many orchestras are closing down or facing survival problems, you take the important initiative to create a professional symphony orchestra. We would say that this was a big risk for you and for your colleagues. Have you considered the possibility of failure?

N.M.: If you look at it from the business point of view, it’s a risk indeed. But, I didn't look at it as business, but as an opportunity to offer this project to people who are interested in watching it. I think that every person and especially those who hold a position in the spiritual leadership of this country should do what they can to offer what they can offer. Personally, I could afford to take on such an undertaking and I never saw it as a business venture. One of my goals for the orchestra is to have an income to cover its expenses. Another goal, in a period of crisis, when many musicians are unemployed, is to be able to give them the opportunity to find work, especially the younger musicians who study and invest a lot of money and time in their studies. They shouldn't be forced to work in a field that has nothing to do with their studies, but they should be rewarded for their efforts and given the opportunity to work in their own country.

G.E.: To what extent is it possible for the orchestra to rely entirely on private funding, especially under this difficult situation (covid-19, war in Ukraine, rising prices)? Is the issue of funding a stressing factor for you?

N.M.: When it comes to financial issues, definitely you have to be very careful for fear that something happens and you get into debt. I have a habit of not living beyond my means and calculating what will be necessary for the orchestra. As I mentioned before, the orchestra's income is not yet enough to cover its expenses. That’s why the ''Maliaras Schools'' come to make up the differences. Till now, after 6 years of the orchestra’s presence, our management is good. Although the income is not sufficient, the orchestra has no debts. It is always reliable in its payments to the musicians and to the state institutions, as well as in all other obligations that arise. From the very start a necessary condition was that the orchestra should be independent and never ask for financial state support, because we, the tax-paying citizens, comprise the state budget. All the other orchestras you mentioned, which names are familiar, were private initiatives. But within few years they had to ask for financial state support. The Athens Philharmonia Orchestra will not do this. We want to be independent and don’t want anyone to interfere in the Orchestra’s creative work, whether private or public. If the Ministry of Culture or any other private, public or municipal entity believes that the orchestra’s offer is worth, then of course any offer will be welcomed, provided that this offer does not mean that the orchestra will be dependent on anyone. So far, we have collaborated with public institutions, such as the Athens Festival and the Athens Concert Hall, always under the condition of reciprocity.

G.E.: Do you think that artists and intellectual people in general, could play a different role than other people in this difficult period?

N.M.: Intellectual people’s role is always important at any time, whether it’s a time of wealth, poverty or problems. In times of hardship the role of art is even more important. After so many years of being in these circles, I am convinced that art is man's only way out of such difficulties. It is the only way to eliminate pain, to help people to overcome difficulties psychologically, to give them creative chances and thus to contribute to overcome all difficulties, even financial ones, because financial difficulties can cause psychological, family, personal or even health problems. Therefore, if someone can support his inner world through art, if he can find a way out and a meaning in his life beyond his living, then he can overcome any kind of problems. Thus art, the role of intellectual people and any form of education are very important in times of difficulty, without having less importance in times of prosperity.

G.E.: Could we say that art is our refuge?

N.M.: Certainly art is the refuge, the way out, what really can encourage us in every difficult moment.

G.E.: Since you have spent a large part of your life in the field of education, as you are a professor in the Faculty of Music Studies at the University of Athens in the Department of Historical and Systematic Musicology and you are also the director of the Mixed Student Choir of the Faculty, which do you think is the role of music in the young people’s education, but also in the formation of the human soul?

N.M.: I believe that music, apart from being the noblest of all arts, is one of the most important educational tools. Of course, this is not something I discovered myself, but it is known from the ancient Greek times. Ancient Greeks considered music as the most important art which contributed to young men’s education. This is because music combines many things and educates people in so many different ways, giving them experiences that almost no other human activity can do. For example through music you learn to be disciplined, to set personal and team goals and to find the method to eventually achieve them. Music cannot fool you and as an artist yourself you know it well. You can't fool the listener. If you play well, you play well, if you do not, even the most ignorant person will notice. On the contrary, in many other things we can be easily deceived and that’s why I chose music to get involved with. But even at my school, where I happen to have a job title, I have strongly integrated music into the curriculum. My goal is, not only to teach music to pupils, as we do not use music in a personal level, like we do in conservatories, but also in a group and class level. Getting involved with music helps children gain those personal experiences that have to do with forming their personalities and acquiring experiences that shape and form their character. These are elements that will accompany them throughout their lives.

G.E.: Has the school and university environment helped you to be more responsive to the young people’s needs?

N.M.: Yes, it certainly has. Not only has it helped me, but it’s also very fortunate to work in these areas, because it means that I am always close to young people. That’s the truth for anyone who works in education. Through experience and contact with young people, we are also renewed. We stay young a little longer and rejoice with them in their progress, their goals, their dreams. If we too can help to support their progress, then that is the greatest happiness. We teachers demand that our students become better than us so that the world can move forward.

G.E.: The goal of the orchestra, as mentioned before, is to feature the modern Greek art music creation. What do we mean by using the term modern Greek art music?

N.M.: In Greece, especially in the music field, there is great confusion about the terms and words we use and their meaning too. For example, when we hear the word ''artistic'', we immediately think of art song, or ask ourselves '' Why artistic''? So, everyone else is artless? All these are false dilemmas. In musicology it is perfectly clear what art music is. It is the music which is produced by famous creators with the aim of artistic creation and enjoyment. It is not primarily focused on commercial exploitation. It is based on concepts, habits and traditions of art that come from far away. The same thing happens in every kind of art. I believe, for example, that there is an obvious difference between Art Theatre -and as you know there is an institution called ''Αrt Theatre''- and the commercial theatre where we go for entertain ourselves. If you think about it, the same distinction can be made between art music and any other kind of music, whether it is commercial or characterised by the anonymity of the creator, as is the case with traditional music and traditional art in general. So, for me the distinction is clear and anyone who wants to get into it, instead of making puns, should take a little time to look, to ask himself and he will be perfectly clear and understand what I mean.

G.E.: Together with the conductor and artistic director of the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, Byron Fidetzis you explore this vast treasure of Greek art music and discover works that have never been performed before. How is this possible and what does the first musicological and interpretive approach to these works require?

N.M.: First of all, I would like to underline what you say, because it is really very unfortunate that works of composers have been written and never performed or haven't been performed for more than 50, 100 or even 150 years. In none European country would something like that have happened. Through institutions and opportunities composers would perform their works, at least the most important ones.
To make it more clear, it certainly requires a thorough archival research, which is very difficult to do in our country, since many composers of earlier times are no longer alive. Those who keep these archives and scores are people who often have nothing to do with music. So, they have an archive that they think they can either sell to make money out of it, or they lock it up in their house so that it won’t get lost. However, in that way they don't protect it. They harm it instead because this music never reaches at the audience for which it was first written. So, it's a big struggle and I would say that in a way I'm not doing injustice to either the composers of the heirs, because there are no institutions that are able to protect and promote the work. Therefore, there is no motivation for someone to think in a different way.
The truth is that in the last 30-40 years -and this is also a result of musicological research in Greek universities- new scholars and institutions have emerged and this is a motivation for those who have archives to deposit them in these institutions so that they can be slowly evaluated. The most important institution is the Greek Music Archive of the Lilian Voudouri Music Library of the Athens Concert Hall, which in the last 20 years has collected a large number of complete archives of great Greek composers, such as the archives of M. Theodorakis, M. Kalomiris, N. Skalkotas and many many others. Of course, it takes a large and specialized staff as well as a lot of money to classify, digitize and make these archives available to researchers. Another significant archive is the digitized archive of the Laboratory of Greek Music of the University of Athens which is also available to researchers and it is constantly expanded. However, there are some other archives that are privately maintained, such as the archives of Thomas Tamvakos, George Constanzos and many others. So, if there is staff of people who can use the tools of modern technology to copy these works into music software, correct errors, make editions, perform works and then re-correct them to complete a product that truly represents the composer's creation. As you see, this is a long process that never ends and will never end. But we do not want to reach at the end! We want, as Cavafy used to say, the journey. It is the journey, the journey that is important, because through this journey we always discover something new and motivate younger people to understand that this field is very interesting for research, so they can contribute to the academic community, but also to Greek art.

G.E.: How easy is it to give prominence to the works of Greek classical composers that people unfortunately don't know? What is the audience’s reaction in this case, given that most people want to hear something that is familiar and "easy" to understand?

N.M.: People's reaction depends on many parameters. Surely we have no illusions. We cannot fill the Panathenaic Stadium or the Olympic Stadium just like Theodorakis, Markopoulos or the Scorpions, but that's not our goal either. Music oriented towards such large crowds has a different structure, a different function. Of course, this music has its own social function that no one can deny. The reaction of people cannot be that great. Nevertheless though we actually had a small response in the beginning, the audience has grown over time and continues to grow. Thanks to modern technologies, social media, and the use of communication and publicity for the orchestra's work, I can say that the name of the orchestra has become very well known. In fact, we have many proposals for cooperation, and these proposals are becoming more frequent. I must say that the pandemic has played an important role in all this, as absurd it may sound. When everything was out of order and nothing was happening, Philarmonia kept working. In 2021, the year of the anniversary of the Greek Revolution, we made a series of videos with themes by Greek composers. This was our own tribute, our own way of celebrating the Greek Revolution and freedom through the work of Greek composers. These videos seem to have been a great success and people understood that this is an orchestra of high quality and artistic level. I think that this event has certainly played a role in the recognition of the orchestra. So we have created a mechanism that makes the orchestra's work seem more dynamic, and I think we have achieved a lot. Our artistic season this year is almost fully booked until summer, and we are discussing proposals for the second after this season. I would like to say here that in the last few years, listening to the work of the Philharmonic Orchestra, we have noticed that other Greek orchestras have started to engage more frequently with Greek music, and this is something very important. So if Philarmonia has contributed to this change through its’ activities, that is an even greater success. We do not want to be the only orchestra that plays Greek music; we want all orchestras to play Greek music.

G.E.: The Athens Philharmonia Orchestra works in parallel to the Modern Music Orchestra of Philharmonia, founded in 2018, which performs rock, pop and light music in concerts. It has also collaborated with great names in major concert halls in Athens and Thessaloniki, successfully reaching a wide audience. Tell us about the creation of this ensemble. Was this something that came up or it was in your plans from the very start?

N.M.: That was not in our first plans, but it came up very quickly. As you said, we realized that we need to appeal to a broader audience that does not easily choose to attend a symphony concert. It's easier to hear the sound of symphonic music through the music they are accustomed to and listen. Therefore, it is possible that through this acquaintance some are interested in listening to pure symphonic music. So, the creation of the Varied Music of Philharmonia ensemble was a way to give more emphasis and recognition to the name of the orchestra. After all, this is something that all major orchestras do abroad, even the most prestigious ones. Therefore I see no reason why Philharmonia should not do the same.

G.E.: I would like to take you back in time at the first day of the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra. What are your feelings? What kind of communication was between you and the musicians?

N.M.: I was very excited because this was our first rehearsal. If I am not mistaken, it was November 4th of 2016 and our first concert was already scheduled for November 20, with works by Heptanese School composers, especially Mantzaros and some of his students. Unfortunately, it was a Thursday and I had a lecture at the university, so I was not there when the first notes of the orchestra sounded. As soon as I was done with class, I went to the rehearsal. Of course, I had attended many orchestra rehearsals before because my job required it. But this time the feeling was different. When I listened to the works of Mantzaros rehearsed by Byron Fidetzis, I thought the result was very good. I liked the sound of the orchestra very much, and when you know that you contributed to this whole project, the feeling is undoubtedly great. I must say that despite our intimate friendship with Byron Fidetzis for many years, I had no experience in the day-to-day running of a symphony orchestra, unlike him, who had a great deal of experience. I can say that I am proud that thanks to the cooperation with the musicians we managed to create a very good atmosphere in the orchestra. Of course, this does not mean that we do not have disagreements; otherwise we would not be alive. So we have our difficulties, our problems, but everything is solved in a spirit of cooperation and consensus. We have a wonderful collaboration, something that unfortunately you do not find so easily in other orchestras. This is also one of the most important achievements and a guarantee that this orchestra can continue its work as long as we can stand.

G.E.: What did you receive from the audience after the orchestra's first official performance?

N.M.: As you can tell, there was a lot of promo. We had given press conferences and on that day many people had come, including many guests of mine and Byron Fidetzis, who wanted to be with us for symbolic reasons and to support the launch of the orchestra. The place where the first concert was held was also the place where we rehearsed. For the first 3 or 4 years, we gave most of our concerts in the same place. The audience response, as I mentioned, was not that great in the beginning, but we were also looking for our footsteps, our partners. I think we found our way of working together over time, we developed our personalities, and I learned a lot of things I didn’t know. Now, after the pandemic, I think we are on a good path to move forward.

G.E.: After 6 years of existence of the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra, do you think that the audience has embraced the orchestra?

N.M.: I think so. The audience, interested in classical music, learned about the orchestra. The audience, that is particularly interested in Greek music, the slightly more sophisticated audience - and I describe it that way because, as you said, there are few people who know Greek music - definitely knows Philharmonia. We have already released two CDs; we have a large collection on our YouTube channel with over 150 works by Greek composers that you can listen to for free. We have also recorded material for the release of at least 5-6 more CDs. Therefore, I think that the Philharmonia Orchestra has become known, as well as the ensemble of "diverse music", and we look forward to the future with optimism.

G.E.: Since you are the founder of the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra what do you think of its future?

N.M.: Ever since we have overcome the pandemic adventure, I am optimistic. I ‘m telling this because once the orchestra began to be popular, suddenly everything had to stop. I felt a great disappointment at that time. I wondered how the orchestra could start all over again and get to that point. But fortunately, after the pandemic (the end of which is not so certain), we got back to that point very quickly and even better. So I am optimistic about the future. The institutions that have made our work more difficult, some to a lesser extent, others to a greater extent, because they may have seen us as competitors, have now realised that not only are we competitors, but also that we have nothing to argue about, we have no one to blame, and all we ask is to offer what we can with pleasure: And if some people find it useful, let them do it, as we do. Even institutions to which we had difficult access at first, such as the Athens Concert Hall, we now have more frequent access, and in some cases we are invited to accompany certain events and concerts. However, we must keep in mind, and you know it well as a musicologist you are, that a concert is not the final product, nor are the rehearsals that preceded it. It is the whole work of restoring the works, copying, rewriting, proofreading. This work is not rewarded and will never be, no matter how many tickets are sold at a concert. So let the doors open so that we can present this work to the Greek audience.

G.E.: Mr. Maliaras thank you so much for this wonderful conversation as well as for your commendable contribution to our culture.

N.M.: Thank you too. I wish you keep on well with your work.