Waste of Values

Abstract or Summary:

This article explores the profound and captivating nature of Yorgos Sicilianos’ music, highlighting its ability to evoke a sense of fulfilment and familiarity. The author feels that Sicilianos’ music is deeply engaging and stimulates both the mind and emotions. Despite its high quality, the music is underappreciated and underperformed in Greece, a reflection of the broader societal undervaluation of Western art music. Sicilianos did not conform to the avant-garde movements of Western music, nor did he seek to infuse his work with a sense of Greekness. Instead, his compositions stand as masterpieces within the broader context of 20th-century Western music. The article argues that the lack of appreciation for Sicilianos’ work in Greece stems from the country’s general reluctance to embrace Western art music as part of its own cultural identity. This reluctance is rooted in a fear of losing national identity and a resistance to the cultural dominance of the West. The author criticizes this cultural insularity, suggesting that Greece’s progress has been hindered by its attempts to preserve a pure, unaltered national identity, ultimately resulting in a loss of both cultural progress and national identity. The article underscores the importance of recognizing and integrating the evolving traditions of great civilizations, including the Western tradition to which Sicilianos’ work belongs. An abbreviated version of this article forms part of the English supplement at the end of this volume (pages 260 – 262).