New Zealand Listener - October 13, 2018

30 LISTENER OCTOBER 13 2018

I

n 2003, then Listener

music critic Ian Dando

posed the question,

“Is it time to pro-

claim John Psathas

a genius?” Part of a

resounding “yes” came

within a year, when Psathas’

compositions for the 2004

Athens Olympics were per-

formed, to critical acclaim,

for a live global audience of

a billion people. Psathas’s

career has continued on

an ever upwards trajectory;

percussionist Evelyn Glennie

is the best known of a range

of top musicians regularly performing his

works around the world.

Psathas’s compositions cross genres,

as does his own taste in music. Until

recently, he had evenly divided his ener-

gies between composing and teaching at

Victoria University of Wellington, where

he is professor of composition at the New

Zealand School of Music Te Kōkī.

The son of Greek immigrants, Psathas

spent his early childhood in Taumarunui,

and his teens in Napier. His parents,

Emmanuel and Anastasia, arrived in

New Zealand with nothing, quickly

built up their businesses, and 28 years

later returned to Greece with their then

26-year-old daughter, Tania. John, then a

21-year-old student, stayed in New Zea-

land to complete his studies but became

more immersed in the country, marrying,

having two children, and establishing his

career.

Psathas’s London-based son, Emanuel,

is better known to his fans as the rapper

Name UL. Daughter Zoe, 18, is studying

at her father’s alma mater. Psathas and

SHELF LIFE

At home in two worlds

A six-month sabbatical in Europe changed composer John

Psathas’ view of himself, and his plans for the future.

CLARE

DE LORE

his wife, Carla, recently spent six months

in Europe, the composer making contact

with leading musicians and spending time

with his Greek family.

Are connections to Greece as strong as to New

Zealand?

Music is my cultural bedrock, but for my

parents, and for a lot of immigrants, the

homeland becomes mythologised. What

I heard from my parents’ generation was,

“Greece is the best country in the world

• I can’t wait to go back ... the food, the
  dance, the sun.” My father had more
  resolve than most; at exactly the age I am
  now [52], he sold everything and went
  back with my mother and my sister. They

went back in the late-80s

and it didn’t turn out well

• you know what Greece is
  like now, economically.

How did you cope after your

family left?

My family being in Greece

means I’ve lived with a

very deep sense of loss,

because we are a very tight

family. I go every year at

least once; even as a stu-

dent, I was working seven

nights a week, saving, so

that I could go and see

them. I have the Greek

tragedy gene, this deep sense of tragedy.

It’s often felt by immigrants, especially

when they are torn from their home and

their family. I have to fight it all the time.

Music has been the thing that saved me

or I would probably suffer from serious

depression. I am always being sustained

by music.

What are your earliest musical memories?

I had an amazing birth as a musician. My

family were typical Greeks – fish and chip

shops, and restaurants. My father had an

old valve record player and all the old

LPs. They listened to a lot of music and

they would ask me to put on this record

or that, and I could find any record even

before I could read. I listened to music a

lot as a very young child and have ever

since.

Was there pressure to do well at school?

Yes, and my sister and I would also work

in our family business until one or two in

the morning and go to school the next

day. We would get only four or five hours’

“I have the Greek

tragedy gene. It’s often

felt by immigrants.

Music has been the

thing that saved me.”