Nikos Chatziapostolou(1884-1941)

Nikos Chatziapostolou was a Greek composer, conductor and bass singer widely regarded as one of the central figures of the Greek operetta tradition alongside Theofrastos Sakellaridis. Raised in Athens, he showed an early interest in music and studied at the Lottner Conservatory before beginning his career as a chorister with the Hellenic Melodrama company founded by Dionysis Lavragas. During the early part of his career he also wrote popular songs, including "Korallenia heili sou" and "Tha kopso roda myromena", while developing his work as a conductor and touring widely in neighboring countries with Greek operetta productions. Between 1912 and 1922 he served as choir director at the Church of Agia Eirini in Athens, composing a number of four-part ecclesiastical works including liturgies and other sacred pieces. His first operetta, Monterna Kamariera, appeared in 1916 and marked the beginning of a prolific period during which he composed around forty three-act operettas. Among his most enduring works is Oi Apachides ton Athinon, first staged with great success at the Alhambra Theatre in 1921 with a libretto by Yannis Prineas, a work that remained popular for years and later inspired a film adaptation. In 1928 he traveled to Vienna where he conducted orchestral recordings, further expanding the reach of his music. His songs and stage works, often noted for their more popular and lyrical character compared with those of Sakellaridis, were widely performed by leading singers of the period and helped shape the sound of Athenian operetta during the early twentieth century.