President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou decorated Greek composer and conductor Stavros Xarchakos with the medal of the Grand Commander of the Order of Honour, in a ceremony held at the presidential mansion on Wednesday, in recognition of his extensive and varied artistic contribution.

In her address, the president stressed that Xarchakos had left his stamp on Greek music by drawing on its rich traditions, ranging from traditional and popular music to church hymns and love serenades, combined with western symphonic music and opera.

“Your songs are on the lips of every Greek. To mention just two landmark works in your long career, you awoke the democratic sentiments of our people with your music for “Our Great Circus”, the legendary performance by Karezi and Kazakos to a script by Iacovos Kampanellis in the midst of the dictatorship, with songs that became a symbol of the struggle against the junta, while you musically revisited rebetiko songs, expressing their ethos remarkably, in your score for the film ‘Rebetiko’ by Kostas Ferris,” the president said, while also noting his contribution as an active citizen in public positions.