Pavlos Carvalho brings Voices Of Greece to the Festival of Chichester

It’s a doubly significant concert for Pavlos as it comes in collaboration with the Greek music festival and charity called The Rebetiko Carnival of which he is the director.

“In June 2023 we are putting on a festival throughout the UK including Brighton, Cuckfield, Chichester, London, Oxford and Southampton that brings some of the greatest musicians, young and old, from Greece, who are specialists in this music. They will collaborate with UK-based musicians in concerts, but also take part in outreach work going to residences – not necessarily Greek, but all nationalities – for older people, special needs homes and schools, too, taking the music to people who do not have the fortune of going out to hear live music. Our work has also taken us to hospitals, hospices and prisons.”

And this Chichester concert comes as part of it all: “Our festival is three weeks and one weekend and we thought we would combine it with the Festival of Chichester which is a festival that means so much to me. It is a very personal thing. The whole thing started around about the same time as the Festival of Chichester so I know what it is like to put on a festival and all the work that goes with it. It has grown in parallel and I think it's one of the reasons that I have such a big affinity and empathy for all that the Festival of Chichester does.”

The concert will focus on the music of Zabetas. As Pavlos explains, Zabetas was one of the warmest and most relatable and uplifting Greek musicians.

“His catchy and melodic music, filled with the down-to-earth tragedy and comedy of the human condition, makes his songs part of the DNA of Greek life.

“The Rebetiko is a period of great music and its heyday was in the late 20s through to the late 1940s and early 1950s. Zabetas was born in the era of Rebetiko but beyond that his music became very popular. He had one foot in Rebetiko and one one foot looking forward. He was like a hash-smoking hard-core guy growing but up his melodies are just so beautiful and romantic. The DNA of his music is talking about every-day life and the things that we go through. It has very real philosophical lyrics that we understand. They are something that everyone can relate to from talking about ageing to talking about particular characters in Greek life. But it always does it with tongue in cheek, a bit of a joke and his music is just so uplifting. And I just don't think it will ever grow old. He talks about the things that still challenge us today like putting food on the table and chasing work and the complexities of living with your wife and the fear of growing old. It can be melancholic but it is never depressing. The vibe is always uplifting and it is just beautiful.”

Tickets on https://festivalofchichester.co.uk/