Hadjidakis: Piano Works

The piano music of Manos Hadjidakis, best known outside Greece for his popular song Never on Sunday, is as unique as the myriad influences which nourish it, reflecting the wide-ranging interests of this popular Greek composer. The suite For A White Little Seashell comprises five preludes followed by traditional Greek dances, while the Six Popular Pictures are arrangements of rebetika songs that share a feeling of nostalgia. The intimate and playful character of his Ionian Suite complements the solemn dignity of Rhythmology, whose unusual rhythms derive from traditional melodic patterns. Trained at the Juilliard School, award-winning Greek virtuoso Danae Kara here makes her Naxos début. “Danae Kara … plays the hell out of this stuff, with plenty of rubato in the faster pieces and delicate understatement in the slower ones. For fanciers of unusual piano music, this disc is a must.” American Record Guide on the original release on Agora