site.btaAugust 20, 1980: Communist Leader Zhivkov Presents Order of Cyril and Methodius to Greek Composer Theodorakis for Achievements in Music

Fourty-five years ago – on 20 August 1980, at the Euxinograd Residence, long-standing Bulgarian Communist leader Todor Zhivkov presented the Order of Cyril and Methodius to Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis for his achievements in music.

Theodorakis was born on the Greek island of Chios on 29 July 1925. He was a renowned composer worldwide and his music, featured in various movies, earned him nominations for the Golden Globe and Grammy awards and, as well as BAFTA awards.

Theodorakis was also a political activist, who fought in the Greek Resistance against the Nazis in WW2. He was associated with the left because of his long-standing ties with the Greek Communist Party and was a member of Parliament during the 1980s. 

This is what BTA’s archives have about Theodorakis’ visit to Bulgaria in 1980 and his Bulgarian award. The texts are from the Home News bulletin:

Visit to Bulgaria

Sofia, 19 August 1980 – Today, at the invitation of Todor Zhivkov, the Greek Communist Party leader Charilaos Florakis, and Mikis Theodorakis arrived in our country. 

A Singer with a Civic Conscience 

Comrade Todor Zhivkov Presents Order of Cyril and Methodius, First-Class, to Mikis Theodorakis

Varna, on the Black Sea, August 20 (BTA) - The Order was solemnly presented to Greek composer and singer Mikis Theodorakis at the Euxionograd Residence today. Todor Zhivkov awarded him this high honor for Theodorakis's remarkable creative achievements in the field of music, his contribution to the cultural rapprochement between the Bulgarian and Greek peoples, and his 55th birthday. 

Zhvikov presented the high distinction, shook hands with Theodorakis and delivered a welcome address. The composer also gave a speech, while Charilaos Florakis was also present. After the ceremony Todor Zhivkov hosted a luncheon in honor of the Greek composer. 

From Todor Zhivkov’s speech:

Dear Comrade Mikis Theodorakis, 

It is with great pleasure that I present to you the Order of Cyril and Methodius, First-Class. With this high distinction we honor prominent Bulgarian and foreign figures in arts and culture. (...) 

This honor, awarded on your 55th birthday, recognizes your remarkable creative achievements in the field of music and your contribution to the cultural rapprochement between the Bulgarian and Greek peoples. 

I wish you good health for many more years to come, so that you may continue to create your unique songs, so needed in our troubled times.

From Mikis Theodorakis’s speech:

(…) I am a child of the Greek national resistance. And as an artist, I consciously turned my back on bourgeois art from a very early age; my sole aim was to create art that comes from the people and serves the people, especially in times of trials and tribulations. 

(...) Let us believe that the path which art paves removes borders. Let us believe that the time will come when the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula will live in such creative bonds that it may once again become a source of world art. 

I accept this high distinction in the name of the profound ties between our peoples and our parties. Thank you! 

Theodorakis fell out with the Greek Communists at the end of the 1980s, becoming cabinet minister for the new right-wing party after the 1989 elections. 

He remained politically active in the last few decades, while receiving other honors like the International Music Council UNESCO Music Prize in 2005. 

He died on the 2nd of September 2021 in Athens at the age of 96. Three days of national mourning were declared in Greece to honor his memory.