National Anthem of GREECE, arranged by Andrey Shilov

“Hymn to Freedom“ is a poem written by Dionysios Solomos in 1823, consisting of 158 quatrains. In 1865, the first 24 verses were declared the anthem of Greece, but in practice, as a rule, the first 2 quatrains are sung. It is the longest national anthem in the world in terms of text. The music for the anthem was written in 1828 by Solomos’ friend Nikolaos Mandzaros; later he revised it twice (in 1844 and 1861). This work is also used as the national anthem of Cyprus. Nikolaos Mandzaros was born in 1795 on the island of Corfu, which was under Venetian control, in the family of lawyer Iakovos Halikiopoulos Mandzaros. The family was wealthy and belonged to the ancient family of the island, the brother of the grandfather of Nikolaos Mandzaros, Georgios, was the last “Great First (Orthodox)“ priest“ of the island, recognized by the Catholic authorities, and the first elected Archbishop of Corfu in the new years. Due to his noble birth, Mandzaros inherited the title of knight. Mandzaros