This recording includes one of the most popular musical tunes in the Greek repertoire. It has been recorded many times under various forms since the beginning of the 20th century in locations where Greeks had a strong presence, such as Cairo, Constantinople (Istanbul), New York, Chicago and Athens. The following recordings have been uploaded to the "Kounadis Archive Virtual Museum":

– "Kalamatiano", Etaireia Mitsos (harmonica, mandolin, guitar), Constantinople (Istanbul), August-September 1906 (Zonophone 1566r – X-108023 and 18284).
– "Kalamatiano", Elliniki Estudiantina (Greek Estudiantina) [and harmonica (Giagkos Psamathianos)], Constantinople, 1906-1907 (Odeon CX-929g – No-46096).
– "Kalamatianos", Instrumental Quartet, Cairo, February 2, 1909 (Gramophone 12029b – 18199 and Victor 63514-A).
– [Kalamatiano], Orfeon Orchestra, Constantinople, 1919-1911 (Orfeon 623 – No-10428).
– "Kalamatianos choros", Violin, clarinet and santur, New York, 1919-1922 (;) (Panhellenion 8000-Α – 8000-Α).
– "Kalamatianos", Clarinet (Ivraimakis), Cairo, 1920; (Setrak Mechian Records m 596 – No-1005).
– "Choros Kalamatianos", Folk Orchestra, Athens, February 1, 1922 (His Master’s Voice CS 235 – AP 3).
– "Kalamatianos choros", Spyros Stamos (cimbalom), Giorgos Gkretsis (violin), Chicago, 1924-1925 (Greek Record Company 742 – 514-Β).
– "Kalamatianos choros", Panellinios Estudiantina (Panhellenic Estudiantina), Athens, 1925 (Odeon Gο 21 – Α 154001 and GA 1044).
– "Kalamatianos", Pongis Dionysis (violin), Unknown (cimbalom), New York, January 1927 (Columbia USA W-205519 – 56057-F).
– "Kalamatianos", Dimitris Semsis or Salonikios (violin), Dimitris Arapakis (santur), Kyriakidis (oud), Unknown (clarinet), Athens, 1927 (Columbia UK W 20023 – 8001).
– "Choros Kalamatianos", Popular orchestra, Athens, July 8, 1927 (His Master’s Voice BF-921-1 – AO-212).
– "Kalamatianos", Mandolinata, Athens (;), October 9, 1928 (Homocord G 866 – G. 4-32061). According to the label on the record, is attributed to Spyros Peristeris.
– "Choros Kalamatianos", Polydor orcestra, Athens, 1928 (Polydor 1333 bk – V 50272). According to the label on the record, it was harmonized by Spyros Kaisaris.
– "Kalamatianos", Harmonica (Antonis Amiralis or Papatzis), guitar (Dimitris Tsakiris), Athens, 11/1928 – 24/01/1929 (Columbia UK W 20466 – 8341 and reissued under the title "Kalamatianos syrtos" by Columbia USA [W 294031 – 56164-F]).
– "Choros Kalamatianos", Folk orchestra, Athens, 1930 (Polydor 114 BA – V 51060).
– "Kalamatiano", Popular orchestra with harmonica [Antonis Amiralis or Papatzis], Athens, May 1931 (His Master’s Voice OW-100 – AO-1013).
– "Kalamatiano", Karamuzes, davul (K. Bournelis, F. Tsilikas, Chr. Kantilas), Athens, 1931 (Columbia W.G. 308 – D.G. 193).
– "Kalamatianos", Nikos Rellias (clarinet) – Popular Orchestra, Athens, 1931 (Pathé, test record, 70394 – 80176).

We should also note two recordings of the tune in the form of a song:

– "Kalamatianos", Marika Papagkika [and Athanasios Makedonas (violin), Markos Sifnios (cello), Kostas Papagkikas (cimbalom)], New York, July 1919 (Columbia USA 59578 – E-5185).
– "Kalamatianos", Antonis Sakellariou (clarinet), violin, lute, cimbalom, J. Telli (refrain), New York, March 5, 1928 (Victor CVE 43313 – 7-68992-A).

“Kalamatianos” was a source of inspiration for scholar Greek composers. Specifically, Nikos Skalkottas (Chalkida, March 21, 1904 – Athens, September 19, 1949) draws musical material for “Kalamatianos”, no. 8 of the first of the three series of twelve dances that make up the emblematic “36 Ellinikoi choroi” (36 Greek Dances) for orchestra. The first recording of the entire cycle of the "36 Greek Dances" as a single work, which Skalkkotas began composing in 1931 in Berlin and completed in 1936 in Athens, was made in Sverdlovsk, Russia, in 1990, 54 years after their composition, by the Ural State Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vyronas Fidetzis (2CDs, "36 Ellinikoi Choroi", Lyra 0053-53).

For unknown reasons, Skalkottas transcribed nine of the "36 Greek Dances", including "Kalamatianos", for wind orchestra (see here). These transcriptions were recorded in the USA by The President's Own United States Marine Band, conducted by Timothy W. Foley (CD "American Games", Fairfax, Virginia, June 23-27, 1997, see here), and in Great Britain by the Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra, conducted by Clarke Rundell (CD "Dances with winds", Chandos Chan 10284, Manchester, 2004, see here).

In the Great Music Library of Greece "Lilian Voudouri", where the Nikos Skalkottas archive is kept (see here). For more information regarding the "36 Greek Dances" by Nikos Skalkottas, see here).

Also, Giannis Konstantinidis is inspired by the Kalamatianos dance for the song no. III "Syrtos" of the "Treis Ellinikoi choroi" (Three Greek Dances) which he composed in 1950 for orchestra. The other two dances of the work are I. Tsamikos and II. Tsakonikos (see here).

The tune also inspired the British composer John W. Duarte. As stated on his personal website (see here), the "Greek Suite (Greek meets Greek") Op. 39 for two guitars was written in 1968, following a letter from guitarist Evangelos Asimakopoulos, in which he asked Duarte for a work based on Greek themes, attaching relevant musical material. Parts of the "Greek Suite", which is dedicated to the Athenian Greek Duo of Evangelos Asimakopoulos and Liza Zoi (for more information see here, here and here), were presented for the first time by the Greek guitarists in January 1969 at the Wigmore Hall in London. It consists of parts I - Zagoresios, II - In The Valleys, III - Tsirigotikos, IV - Karagouna, V - Kalamatianos. In the final fifth part, that is, "Kalamatianos", the composer combines melodic elements from the tune we are interested in, along with other musical themes from songs in the rhythm of Kalamatianos, such as "Ela vre Charalampi" (see here) and "Choros tou Zaloggou" (see here). The work was recorded by the Italian guitar duo Liliana Pesaresi and Luca Trabucchi in 2002, in Milan (CD "John W. Duarte. Variations on a French Nursery Song, Op. 32", MAP Lira Classic LR CD 086), and by the Athens Guitar Duo (Dusty Woodruff and Matthew Anderson) in June 2013 in Brighton, United Kingdom CD "Magellan's Playlist, Vol. 1: On tour in China", Claudio CR-60192).

Continuing with the North Macedonian repertoire, in 1975, clarinetist Tale Ognenovski and the Čalgiite orchestra released the 7'' record "Narodni ora" [PGP RTB (Produkcija Gramofonskih Ploča Radio Televizije Beograd) EP 14 716]. The record, which was recorded in Belgrade, includes the instrumental "Kalamatijana" based on this specific tune. Twenty years later, in 1995, clarinetist Ilija Ampevski recorded it uith the same title ("Kalamatijana").

The Spanish composer, saxophonist and saxophone professor at the Catedrático del Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid Pedro Iturralde (Falces, Navarra, Spain, July 13, 1949 – Madrid, November 1, 2022), inspired by Greek music, composes the "Suite Hellenique" in which he includes his own version of "Kalamatianos". Iturralde's "Suite Hellenique" (see here), which consists of the parts I. Kalamatianos II. Funky III. Valse IV. Kritis, was a great success. It has become part of the international repertoire of the saxophone, as well as of musical ensembles and schools, and has been recorded, arranged and performed countless times in concert venues, in various versions and combinations of instruments, by musicians of many nationalities.

We mention, for example, the performance by the New Belgian Sax Quartet (see here), the composer himself and the Feeling Sax Ensemble (see here), by the Italian Saxophone Quartet (see here), the Riga Saxophone Quartet (see here), the Hungarians Jazzybirds and the Transylvanian Saxophone Quartet (see here), the Russian Saxophone Quartet (see here), the Spanish Nascilansky dúo (see here), by the Americans Ethan Miller, saxophone, and Krystin O'Mara, guitar (see here), by the Czechs Štěpánka Šediváková, saxophone, and Filip Kratochvíl, accordion (see here), by the Swedes Noah Hofvander, alto saxophone, and Leo Florin, accordion (see here), the Japanese Masato Kumoi Sax Quartet (see here), the saxophone quartet from the Józef Marcin Żebrowski Music School in Częstochowa, Poland (see here), the arrangement for orchestra and solo alto saxophone by the Norwegian Sara van de Wijer (see here), the Hanyang Saxophone Ensemble from South Korea (see here), the musical group Nomad the Group from Luxembourg (see here) and the Dutch Mica Saxophone Quartet (see here).