MIKIS THEODORAKIS

Canto General

A Unique Musical Collaboration

The upcoming performances of Mikis Theodorakis’s "Canto General" will feature talented local singers and soloists, accompanied by the renowned Mikis Theodorakis Orchestra. The orchestra will be directed by Margarita-Aspasia Theodorakis, daughter of the legendary composer, who brings both expert musicianship and unique personal insight into her father’s work.

Wherever possible, we are committed to collaborating with outstanding local singers and soloists in each country where we perform, creating a unique and authentic concert experience rooted in community and cultural exchange. By uniting regional voices with the internationally acclaimed orchestra, these concerts celebrate both the rich tradition of Theodorakis’s music and the vibrancy of local music communities. Experience a dynamic blend of Greek musical heritage and local artistry, brought together under the baton of Margarita Theodorakis, in a powerful homage to freedom, culture, and hope.

Canto General is a powerful oratorio composed by Mikis Theodorakis, based on selected poems from Chilean Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda’s monumental collection of the same name. Created in 1972 during Theodorakis’s exile, the piece sets Neruda’s original Spanish texts to music, blending Greek musical elements with the vibrant spirit of Latin America.

The work is scored for choir, soloists, and orchestra, and its thirteen movements evoke the landscapes, struggles, and hopes of Latin America and its people. Theodorakis’s setting is known as a “cry of humanity”—a passionate musical tribute to freedom, justice, and solidarity among oppressed peoples. Canto General remains one of Theodorakis’s major works and is celebrated worldwide for its emotional depth and enduring message.