Like today, on the 27th of April 2008, in the early hours of Easter, the great composer Marios Tokas passed away at the age of 53.
He "left" so early, only at the age of 54, after many months of battling cancer, this important form of our music and culture, which stood out with his work but also with the kindness and beauty of character and soul. of.
The unforgettable Marios Tokas, who praised love and love, set to music poets, was sung by the greatest voices and beautified our lives with his music and his modest presence, in addition to composing countless songs that were loved by our people and will be sung in the future, he was deeply politicized and aware of the struggles of the Cypriot people.
He was born on June 8, 1954 in Limassol, Cyprus, where he spent his childhood and adolescence. He experienced all the savagery of Attila as the Turkish invasion of 1974 found him serving his military service.
Shocked by the Cypriot tragedy, he wrote the works "Soul and body" (melodic poems by the hanged fighters of Evagoras Pallikaridis, Andreas Zakou, etc.), "Voice of the Fatherland" in poetry by K. Monti, T. Pierin and Nassie Gia songs "Raise your back Pentadachtile" and "My homeland" become the flag of the Cypriot people) and "Famagusta King".
In 1975 he came to Athens to study at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens while at the same time he continued his musical studies at the National Conservatory.
In 1978 he released his first album, with singer Manolis Mitsias and the title "The songs of the company". A milestone in his musical journey was his acquaintance with the poet of Romanism, Giannis Ritsos, who entrusted him with twelve of his anecdotal poems that were released in 1981 with the general title "My Bitter Generation", performed by Lakis Chalkias.
Other musical works in poetry by Costa Varnali, Costa Karyotaki, Tefkrou Anthia, Costa Monti, Theodosi Pieridi, Michalis Pasiardi, Kyriakou Charalambidis and others follow.
Marios Tokas collaborated with performers such as: Dimitris Mitropanos, Giannis Parios, George Dalaras, Paschalis Terzis, Glykeria, Haris Alexiou, Dimitra Galani, Antonis Kalogiannis, Tolis Voskopoulos, Marinella, Stelios Dionakelos Kasselis, Stelios Dionysiou Kasselis .
Among his greatest hits are the songs: "Annoula tou chionia", "Didima moons", "It depends", "Seas", "Our national loneliness", "I love you like the laughter of May", "Like a crazy truck "," I'm looking for you in Salonika "," I love you "," Ta Ladadika "," The night smells like jasmine "etc.
He wrote music for the cinema and theater in Greece as well as in Cyprus ("Dona Rozita" and "Germa" by Federico Garcίαa Lorca, "Thermoforiazouses" by Aristophanes, "The Court of Miracles" by Kampanelis, etc.), while important There was also his presence in the creation of children's songs such as "Ares mares koukounares" with lyrics by Fontas Ladis, "a tree called Nikola" by D. Potamitis and others.
In 2002 he presented at the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Vienna the symphonic work of "Theogenitor Maria", which was inspired by the manuscripts of the monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis.
He was honored by the Republic of Cyprus with the "Medal of Outstanding Contribution to the Homeland" (2001) and the "Giannos Kranidiotis" Award (2002). He was married to Amalia Petsopoulou with whom he had three children.
"We have as a companion what Marios himself said, that is, that with his songs he tried to make friends, to bring each other closer to each other and that this can only happen when something is written with emotion and truth. "Maybe this is why his songs are loved by the world, because" they spoke to him ", because" they speak "in his heart", his life partner wrote somewhere.
Marios passed away, but he left us an invaluable offer and legacy, which in itself leaves Mario to circulate among us as "immortal" and unforgettable!
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