Greek musician George Dalaras: ‘I don’t believe in prejudices’

Dalaras is taking to the stage on Saturday at the Cemil Topuzlu Open-air Theater for his show in İstanbul as part of his ongoing world tour titled “Encore 2010.” The tour, coming on the heels of his 2009 album “Ya Afto Iparchoune I Fili,” has taken him to cities such as Belgrade, Bucharest, London, Vienna, Amsterdam and Helsinki to date.

“From the moment I thought of myself as a musician, this was my major goal: to combine the unchangeable and authentic elements of traditional and ethnic music with modern elements,” says Dalaras, in an interview with Today’s Zaman, explaining the motives behind his musical style.

“This is what I was after in my collaborations with great composers like Kougioumtzis and Loizos when I started my career, and this is what I always admired in other world musicians. This risk fascinated me. Musicians such as Paco de Lucia -- he was based in flamenco, but he enriched it with elements of popular music -- were, for me, doing the most fascinating and creative thing that a young musician and singer can do. The assistance I received in my early years was the hard work, the open horizons of music, the lack of prejudice and, certainly, my good teachers, composers, songwriters and lyricists.”

“I adore national music,” states Dalaras about his main sources of inspiration. “Rembetiko, flamenco, fado and, above all, the traditional songs of Asia Minor, as my mother’s family were refugees from Asia Minor and brought with them all the traditions. I was lucky because of this. I have sung songs with very good lyrics.”

“My father also influenced me to a great extent,” says Dalaras whose father, Loukas Daralas, was a rembetiko singer. “Although I didn’t grow up with him -- I grew up with my mother and saw him a few times -- I have inherited his talent and mostly his influences. Additionally my father’s family were all musicians, for three generations. Most of all, I admired how my father played the bouzouki, which has particular characteristics, and his voice. My father had a wonderful voice.”

Reviving Greek language with music

“I certainly faced pressure,” explains Dalaras about the difficulties he has faced while singing in his native language, “especially a few years ago on my big international tours and after the successful international release of my albums. I don’t exclude songs from other languages, provided that it is an authentic approach. I have also sung songs in Spanish.” However, pursuing only what is in fashion is not sincere, and thus not authentic, for Dalaras. “I could never sing songs that are in fashion but don’t reflect my personality. I consider it ridiculous and depreciatory. When you are serious and absolute and support [what you] believe in and sing, you attract a more loyal audience. And you earn their respect and appreciation.”

Despite the language barrier, Dalaras has proved able to demolish all barriers between his international audience and him with his music. “I don’t believe in prejudices,” he says. “There are no big differences between the Greek audiences and international ones. The audiences in the Netherlands or in Germany [might be] warmer than the Greeks. When you are putting on a great concert and performance and you give the best of yourself, there is no warm or cold audience. I am honest with myself and honest with the audience. In a good performance the audience responds, otherwise, we, the musicians, are to blame.”

Rebel or romantic?

So which Dalaras do you listen to? The Dalaras singing political songs or the Dalaras singing, perhaps, the best examples of Greek ballads? “There’s a big dispute among listeners, as some prefer political songs that are more aggressive while others prefer the ballads,” says Dalaras. “But I like both. I didn’t become a musician for the profession only. Music is my life and I have learned to live with music. The songs express the balance I keep in my life,” he says, and about his Turkish listeners. “I believe that the audience at Saturday’s concert will have the chance to hear this balance.”

In this respect, Dalaras’s latest album has certainly achieved a “balance” between the two sides of Dalaras. “It’s a very interesting album,” he explains, “with ballads and social songs, which were sung during the big European tour we had, the first part of which just ended a few days ago. I hope the same will happen with the audience in Turkey.”

Dalaras explains that the novelty and the power of his recent album lies, essentially, in the lyrics. “I would compare it with some of the albums I have done in the past with different composers and different sounds,” says Dalaras. “We experimented with different combinations on this album. So we have songs that are very classical in form, but also electric ballads. The novelty, the idea [of this album], is that all these years I have listened to music and compositions by young composers, very good music, but weak in terms of lyrics. My idea for this album was to use great lyricists who could write for young people. And I am very satisfied with the results.”

İstanbul, Livaneli and politics

Undoubtedly, Dalaras has a large fan base in Turkey. However, they have been unable to see Dalaras perform on a Turkish stage to date, and had to go to Greece or to another country where he was performing. “The conditions were not suitable before,” Dalaras says. “I think that the organizers of this production, the whole organization and the momentum we have is such that it is worth the trouble to have a large concert,” says Dalaras. “I think that the conditions are now ripe for a very beautiful concert where we can express our emotions through our art and bring people closer together.”

A Dalaras concert planned in Turkey in 2007 was canceled at the last moment. “For some reasons I didn’t find out, that concert was canceled,” Dalaras stated, adding that it is all in the past.

“I have no bad feeling towards this country,” he says. “How could I have, as my mother’s family comes from this country? Can anyone have negative feelings for his country of origin? Moreover, I also have very good friends [from Turkey], both Greeks and Turks.”

“My grandmother was from Smyrna [now İzmir]. Together with the bitterness, we accepted the joy of the songs, the culture, the principles of peace, the fraternization and a common life,” Dalaras says, referring to the time when his family had to leave for Greece, like many Turkish-Greeks in the past.

In reply to speculations on his political views, Dalaras says, “You know I adhere to an ideology that says war and nationalistic conflicts never have any winners. They only have losers.”

In Dalaras’s İstanbul concert, popular Turkish musician Zülfü Livaneli will make a guest appearance. “We have known each other for many years and I have great respect and love for [Livaneli] as musician and as human being. ... Livaneli and I believe that it is a great honor to be able to share the same stage and I will sing his songs.” Apart from the songs Livaneli and Dalaras will sing together, the rest of the concert’s program is a surprise. “First of all, each of our musicians and singers could put on a concert by himself,” he explains. “We have prepared, for the audience, the best that anyone could listen to from both contemporary music and our traditions. I feel that we owe them this.”

In respect to future projects with Turkish musicians, such as recording duet albums, Dalaras gave a green light. “I have never thought so, but you have given me an excellent idea,” he says. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that Dalaras is ignorant about Turkish music and culture, as is shown, especially, by the content of his concerts. “Do I listen [to Turkish music]? All the time,” he says, affirming his interest in and knowledge of Turkish music. “Turkish musicians such as Erkan Oğur have played on my albums. I very much respect the Kalan Music company because it produces remarkable albums. In any case, Turkey should be proud of its musicians,” he says.

Known for his humanitarian activities and aid concerts, Dalaras is also a goodwill ambassador for the UN. “Talent is not given to you so you can put money in your pockets,” says Dalaras. “I come from a poor family that always had political and social sensitivity. I had Mikis Theodorakis and Yannis Ritsos as my teachers, and for me music without political and social struggles is not music, artists without social awareness are not artists. They are just entertainers. I have a principle in my life: Art, and especially music, is not only for having a good time and forgetting, it is mostly for remembering.”

“Just three years ago we travelled to Sierra Leone and we followed a caravan of refugees who were repatriated to Liberia,” says Dalaras, who has given concerts in many areas of conflict in the world. For Dalaras, a concert in such a place is more than merely a concert. “I have travelled almost all over the world, and have earned the love and trust of the public. ... Performances for a humanitarian cause fill me with emotions and joy.”