"I like to concentrate on
the poetry and the message
in the songs I'm singing."

- Nana Mouskouri -

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New Zealand - 2005 > 1985 > 1974 >

1974

Nana Mouskouri arrives this weekend with The Athenians on a New Zealand tour, which includes an Auckland concert next Thursday night. Here, before leaving for New Zealand, she tells how she once lost her famous voice - and battled to get it back ...

From childhood, Nana Mouskouri was fully aware there was something wrong with her vocal chords.

She spoke in a husky, at times even gravely, voice and suffered from a constant sore throat.

But she was not prepared for the morning in 1958 when she awoke to discover she could not utter a sound.

Her voice, upon which she had banked her future, was gone.

"I knew it was getting worse in my throat, but I didn't really think, or didn't want to believe that it would ever come to that," she says.

It did not take long for doctors to diagnose the trouble - Nana was born with one abnormally thick vocal chord.

Had she been anything but a singer, she may never have had any ill effects.

But the voice training and practice she had carried out over the years eventually proved too much of a strain.

Nana's then husband-to-be, George Petsilas, was chiefly responsible for her vocal rehabilitation.

When I felt fit enough to try singing again, george took me along at a gentle pace," she says.

"For hours he would just strum his guitar while I hummed along. Later I got up enough confidence to attempt some tender songs."

Nana had cleared the first hurdle - that of speaking and more importantly singing again - but she still had a long way to go.

"I was told that for the rest of my life I would have to take extra special care of my voice, never to place too much of a strain on my vocal chords," she said.

"I had to learn how to treat it with respect, never to push too hard.

"I know how far I can go and how much effort I can put on a song."

"After all this time I know straight away if it is getting dangerous."

That three months of silence taught her the value of saved words.

"I speak now when I have to, the rest of the time I save my voice for when it is needed, for when I am singing," she says.

The musical aid George gave her during her fight back still continues.

"People ask me how George likes to take, how do they say it, the back seat," she says.

"Well, he doesn't. There is no star in our family.

"George is a great musician, he also does all the hard work for me and the boys in the group.

"He chooses all the numbers, arranges the production, and is the organizer of all rehearsals."

On stage the quintet complement each other. Although Nana is the focal point, the men are not pushed into the shadows.

With George Petsilas on bouzouki and guitar, are the two other guitarists Costas and Coussi, and drummer Bernard, the only single member of the company.

"They really are lovely boys," Nana says.

"We have been together now for 10 years, yet there has never been any trouble.

"We get on like on big family."

Their stage act is designed to draw almost as much attention to The Athenians as to Nana herself.

She leaves them alone with the audience at each performance with George as the spokesman.

They adhere mainly to Greek folk songs because as George confesses: "Our English is not as good as Nana's."

Before she does leave the stage Nana introduces each group member separately, and with obvious affection.

Leaving George till last she announces proudly: "For those of you who don't know I am not only Nana Mouskouri - I am also Mrs George."