Marios Tokas - in the CIS, not everyone knows the name of this composer, but in his native Cyprus and Greece, everyone knew about him. Over the 53 years of his life, Tokas managed to create not only many musical works that have already become classics, but also actively participated in the political and public life of his country.
Marios Tokas was born on June 8, 1954 in Limassol, Cyprus. In many ways, the choice of future profession was influenced by his father, who was fond of poetry. Having joined a local orchestra as a saxophonist at the age of 10, Tokas often attended concerts by Greek musicians, and once was inspired by the work of the composer Mikis Theodorakis.
This is what prompted young Tokas to write music to his father's poems. Having discovered this talent in himself, he became interested in the poetry of Ritsos, Yevtushenko, Hikmet, on whose poems he wrote songs and personally performed with them at school and at concerts in the theater.
Service of Marios Tokas in the Army
The political situation in Cyprus in the 70s was shaky, and ethnic strife often broke out between Turks and Greeks. On July 20, 1974, Turkish troops entered the territory of the island and Tokas, like most men, was sent to the battlefields: at that time he was already serving in the army. Demobilized in the fall of 1975, having spent a little more than 3 years in the service.
Tokas recalls those times as especially difficult and significantly influenced his future work. After graduating from the service, he decided to travel with concerts throughout the territory of Cyprus, which is under the control of Greece. Marios Tokas sent the proceeds to help refugees and people affected by the hostilities.
The composer was an ardent supporter of the reunification of Cyprus with Greece, and actively defended this position even in the early 2000s, when there were still disputes about the political status of the island. Until his death, he did not stop going on tour, speaking for a free Cyprus.
The rise of a musical career
Upon his return from the army, Tokas had already earned recognition and wide popularity, and his close friend was Archbishop Makarios, the first president of Cyprus. With his assistance, the composer entered the conservatory in Greece, where he combined his studies with writing poetry.
In 1978, the first collection of his songs performed by Manolis Mitsyas was published. The Greek poet Yannis Ritsos appreciated Tokas' talent and entrusted him with writing songs based on his poems from the still unreleased collection "My Grieved Generation". After that, the composer began to actively collaborate with various authors and performers, and the works of Kostas Varnalis, Theodisis Pieridis, Tevkros Antias and many others passed from the form of poetry to the form of music.
Fame and success follow everywhere, and Marios Tokas is already taking up composing music for performances and films. His works could be heard in productions based on the plays of the ancient Greek comedian Aristophanes - "Women at the Feast of Thesmophoria", as well as in "Yerma" and "Don Rosita" by the Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca.
war-inspired
There are many songs in Tokas's work dedicated to the long Greek-Turkish conflict that unfolded around Cyprus. This can be traced even in the collection of children's songs on the verses of Fontas Ladis, where the composition "Soldiers" is dedicated to the tragedy of war.
In the early 80s, Tokas wrote the music for Neshe Yashin's poem “Which half?” Dedicated to the division of Cyprus. This song becomes, perhaps, the most important in the work of Marios Tokas, because years later it acquired the status of an unofficial anthem for the supporters of the reunification of Cyprus. Moreover, the song was loved by both the Turks and the Greeks.
In fact, most of the composer's work was dedicated to his homeland, for which he received many awards. In 2001, the President of Cyprus, Glafkos Clerides, presented Tokas with one of the highest state awards - the medal "For Outstanding Service to the Fatherland".
Marios Tokas: style
Mikis Theodorakis is a real mastodon of Greek music, 30 years older than Tokas. He called the works of Marios truly Greek. He compared them with the greatness of Mount Athos. Such a comparison is not accidental, because in the mid-90s Marios Tokas spent some time in Athos monasteries, where he studied the local manuscripts and culture. It was this period of life that inspired the composer to write the work “Theotokos Mary”. It was this work that he considered the culmination of his career as a composer.
Greek motifs permeated not only musical creativity, but also painting. Tokas was strongly fond of icon painting and portraits throughout his life. It is noteworthy that the portrait of the musician himself flaunts on a postage stamp.
Marios Tokas: family, death and legacy
Tokas lived with his wife Amalia Petsopulu until his death. The couple has three children - sons Angelos and Kostas and daughter Hara.
Tokas fought cancer for a long time, but in the end, the disease wore him down. He passed away on April 27, 2008. The death of a national legend was a real tragedy for all Greeks. The funeral was attended by the President of Cyprus Dimitris Christofias and thousands of admirers of the composer's work.
Tokas left behind many unpublished works that were given life years after his death. The songs of Marios Tokas are known to all the older generation of Greeks. People often hum, gathering in a cozy family company.
