Eleni Karaindrou facts for kids

Eleni Karaindrou (Greek: Ελένη Καραΐνδρου) was born on November 25, 1941. She is a talented Greek composer. She is best known for creating music for films, especially those made by the Greek director Theo Angelopoulos.

Her Life and Music

Eleni Karaindrou moved to Athens with her family when she was eight years old. She studied piano and music theory at the Hellenikon Odeion, which is a music school. She also took classes in history and archaeology at the university.

During a time when Greece had a military government (from 1967 to 1974), Eleni lived in Paris. There, she studied ethnomusicology, which is the study of music from different cultures. She also learned about orchestration, which is how to arrange music for an orchestra. While in Paris, she even played music with jazz musicians. After this, she started composing popular songs.

In 1974, she returned to Athens. She set up a special place to study traditional musical instruments. She also hosted a radio show about music from different cultures on Greece's national radio station. In 1976, she began working with ECM Records, a well-known music company. This was a very busy time for her. She created a lot of music for plays and movies. Eleni has said that her unique music style developed while working on film soundtracks. She found that connecting music with images helped her express feelings in new ways.

Her first album of music for a movie was released in 1979. It was for a film called Periplanissi. In 1982, she won an award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. There, she was noticed by Theo Angelopoulos, who was leading the jury. Eleni Karaindrou worked with this famous Greek director on his last eight films, from 1984 to 2008.

Eleni Karaindrou has created a lot of music. By 2008, she had composed music for 18 full-length movies. She also wrote music for 35 theater plays and 11 TV shows or movies. She has worked with other well-known directors like Chris Marker and Margarethe von Trotta. In 1992, she received the Premio Fellini award, which is a special honor. More recently, her songs "Elegy for Rosa" and "Refugee's Theme" were used in the popular 2015 movie Mad Max: Fury Road.

On November 9, 2012, her music was featured in a concert. This concert was called “Music and songs for the films of Theo Angelopoulos.” It was part of a tribute to the Greek filmmaker at the 53rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra performed her compositions.

In 2021, Eleni Karaindrou received a Lifetime Achievement Award. This award was given by the Ghent Festival's World Soundtrack Awards, recognizing her amazing career in music.

Her Music Albums

Here is a list of some of the albums Eleni Karaindrou has released:

• Tous des Oiseaux - ECM 2019
• David - ECM 2016
• pothoi kato apo tis leukes; gliko pouli tis niotis - mikri arktos 2016-2017
• Music for the Small Screen - Original Recordings [1976-1989] - Mikri Arktos 2014
• Medea - ECM 2014
• Concert in Athens (live) - ECM 2013
• Dust of Time - ECM 2009
• The 10 (Greek TV: "το 10") - Mikri Arktos/ECM 2008
• Elegy of the Uprooting (live) - ECM 2005; Also released as DVD
• The Weeping Meadow - ECM 2004
• Trojan Women (album) - ECM 2001
• Eternity and a Day - ECM 1998
• Rosa, Wandering - Lyra 1996
• Ulysses' Gaze - ECM 1995
• The Suspended Step of the Stork - ECM 1992
• Music for Films - ECM 1991
• The Suspended Step of the Stork - Minos 1991
• Unreleased Recordings - Minos 1991
• L'Africana - Minos 1990
• Herod Atticus Odeon (live) - Minos 1988
• Landscape in the Mist - Milan 1988
• The Beekeeper - Minos 1986
• Happy Homecoming, Comrade - ECM 1986
• Voyage to Cythera - Minos 1984
• The Price of Love - Minos 1983
• Music and songs for the theater, mikri arktos, 1983 -1993
• The Great Vigil - Minos 1975