The composer, songwriter and pianist Dimos Moutsis passed away at the age of 86.
He has written music for great songs, such as "Don't knock me at midnight", "Piraeus", "I saw you in my eyes", "Tomorrow again", "With a complaint", while his songs have been performed by artists such as Grigoris Bithikotsis, Vicky Moscholiou, Manolis Mitsias, Dimitra Galani, many others, and of course himself.
He had also set poetry to music and orchestrated works by other creators.
A great journey – The collaboration with Nikos Gatsos and Manos Hadjidakis
His artistic journey began in 1967, when Nikos Gatsos began to give him his lyrics. The first song of Dimos Moutsis was "Vrechei o Theos" performed by Stamatis Kokota.
The collaboration between Gatsu and Moutsi continued with songs such as "Don't knock on my door at midnight", "Piraeus" with the same performer, "I saw you in my eyes" with Vicky Mosholiou.
In 1969 with "Tomorrow again" with the performer Grigoris Bithikotsis, "With a complaint" with Bithikotsis but also the debutant Manolis Mitsias. In 1970, Manos Hadjidakis commissioned Moutsis to take care of the orchestration and musical direction of his songs on the "Return" album.
All in lyrics by Nikos Gatsos and performed by Grigoris Bithikotsis and the debutante Dimitra Galani. This album included Hadjidaki's songs "Speak to me", "Ivory boat", "Today's bitterness", with arrangements by Moutsis.
From "Ears and Hands" and "Once in Eleusis"
At the same time, Moutsis continues to write hits such as "These hands" (lyrics by Lefteris Papadopoulos) and "In Elefsina once" (lyrics by Vassilis Andreopoulos) with Manolis Mitsias.
A major milestone in his career was "Agios Febrouarios", which was recorded at the end of 1971 and released at the beginning of 1972. The lyrics were written by Manos Eleftheriou and performed by Dimitris Mitropanos and Petri Salpea.
A very important work that seals the entire first period, indeed opening with this work, as it turned out in hindsight, new roads in the Greek discography.
In the album "Agios Febrouarios" in addition to the song of the same name, the following stood out: "What if it's anyone's fault", "The house on the uphill", "I susta go forward", "Allos gia Chios travixe" and others.
This was followed in 1972 by "Synoikismos A" with lyrics by Yiannis Logothetis (who also had the pseudonym Yiannis Michaelidis) but also by Gatsou, Eleftheriou and Varvara Tsimoulis. The performers were Antonis Kalogiannis and Vicky Moscholiou, with songs that became great hits, such as "White, red, yellow, blue", "That's how life is" with Vicky Moscholiou, "Looking out the window" with Kalogiannis, the folk orchestral "O choros tis leventias" etc. In 1973 "Strofes" is released, another folk and at the same time very melodic recording work by Dimos Moutsis.
With solo performer Vicky Moscholiou and lyrics by Pythagoras, Logothetis, Eleftheriou, but also Gatsu. "Hugs and side by side", "And hello joy", "An evening in Larissa", "I am me" and the atmospheric "Stous baxedes" which is dedicated to the memory of Markos Vamvakaris.
The "Testimonies" and the censorship of the junta
In 1974, in the post-colonial period, came the "Martyries", which included the songs of Moutsis that had been cut by the junta's censorship in lyrics by Manos Eleftheriou, Yiannis Logothetis, Giorgos Chronas, Varvaras Tsimboulis and the composer himself and singers Manoli Mitsias, Vassiliki Lavina, in one of her first recordings and Christos Lettonos.
In 1975 he releases "Tetralogia", a pioneering cycle of poetry set to music based on poems by K.P. Cavafy, Costas Karyotakis, Giorgos Seferis and Yiannis Ritsou, with performers Manolis Mitsias, Christos Lettonos and debutant singer Alkisti Protopsaltis.
In 1976 "Ergatis symphony", music from Giorgos Skourtis' play "Strike". In 1979, "Dromologio" was released based on lyrics by Nikos Gatsos and performed by Manolis Mitsias.
In the "Itinerary" stand out such as "Like Che Guevara", "Far away time of love", "Greece Greece", "On Mount Athos" etc.
You don't even talk about the special relationship with Bellou
In 1981 "Fragma" was released with lyrics by Kostas Tripolitis. With songs such as: "De les kuvenda", "Delenda est (My peace)", "Letter from the foreign legion", "Dalika" etc. The folk songs of the album were sung by the great rebetist Sotiria Belou with Dimos Moutsis singing only the chorus from the well-known "De les kuveda".
The album's electric ballads were sung by the composer himself. In the same work, Dimos Moutsis also sang "Quventules with Freud" together with Loukianos Kilaidonis and Alcisti Protopsalti.
In 1983, with "Enchyro" he begins his solitary journey
In 1987 follows "Na!" which also contains his well-known songs "The dream" and "A crying harmonica". In 1990 "Traveler of everything" with Nana Mouschouri, which was also the last record he wrote for a singer other than himself. In 1994 he returned with "For Sale So!" again with his own lyrics and interpretation.
The collaborations with Dimitris Mitropanos and Dimitra Galani
In 1999, Dimos Moutsis collaborated again with Dimitris Mitropanos and Dimitra Galani in a big concert at Irodeion in which they sang together older and newer hits of the great creator. A long-awaited work of his with performer Haroula Alexiou has never been released.
In the 2019 European elections, he was a candidate for MEP with MeRA25. The same party formation suspended Mutsi's party status due to accusations against him.
Source: in.gr