Chronis Aidonidis is considered one of the greatest personalities of Greek folk music in general. His work is priceless. He has gone down in history for his personal way and ethos, which encapsulated and interpreted the folk “treasure” of his homeland, Thrace, and other regions, but not only. Something that has not been widely known, is that he was also a composer since in many of the songs he has recorded, he wrote the music himself, but out of great modesty and respect for folk music itself and his teachers, he did not reveal it! Finally, what deserves special mention is his great love for Byzantine music. He never stops saying, from his soul, the phrase “Thracian song, Byzantine chant”, wanting to emphasize the special relationship between the musical tradition of his native land and Byzantine music…
In September 2012, Chronis Aidonidis welcomed us into his home to talk about the grand concert in his honor at the Herodion. This meeting captured its intended purpose, but ended up recording even more, as the great master of our folk music had the willingness and kindness to narrate to us with vivid eloquence one by one his early steps in life, as well as in musical creation. He opened the book of years and unfolded the basic chapters and the people who stood by him on a journey during which he left an indelible mark, teaching dedication to a great purpose and ideal (folk music), and being himself an example through his way of life.
The following video has captured this specific interview.
