| Subject: Rough translation - Article in a russian gazetta Culture section on 2 performances: russian star Alena Sviridova & Anggun |
Author:
Govazhi
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Date Posted: 15:21:27 05/24/02 Fri
Author Host/IP: 61.5.80.80
ALENA FALLS SHORT, ANGGUN DELIGHTS
On Thursday last week Alena Sviridova performed her new show at "Russia" hall, and on Saturday, 20th, French Indonesian Anggun sang at Tchaikovsky concert hall. The ratio of the number of people in those halls was 3 to 1; the ratio of the musical quality - the opposite.
What is this? Jazzophrenia?
((This part is the review of AlenaÕs performance. In short: AlenaÕs show, for larger audience, with dancers and spectacles, was musically disappointing in regard to her attempt at marrying pop with jazz.))
Anggun - without the dances, stage decors and lasers
Strange thing happened at the Tchaikovsky hall. Small number of invited people and general public came for the "French Seasons" concerts. Yet it is these concerts that surpass in the quality of the music than what have been shown to us in "Russia" or in the Kremlin.
On last Saturday, it was the turn of the tiny, smiling Anggun. Anggun was patroned in France by producer Eric Benzi who previously worked with world class Frenchs Johnny Halliday, Celine Dion and Jean-Jacques Goldman. Anggun started early, by twenty years old she has already made four albums in Indonesia, but her love to a French engineer made her move to Paris. There, her strong and powerful voice striked a chord with Eric's soul, and under his handling Anggun has released French and English records, resulting in French platinum. She is now quite popular, hence her coming to Russia was prepared well: she brought two guitarists, a drummer, an organist. She sang pop, of course, but enriched with world music elements. Well executed, fresh, strong, vigorous Ð and irresistably charming. Before the start of the performance, the people behind me, not knowing who Anggun was, made some skeptical jokes. Yet after each of AnggunÕs song, they, along with the whole room, gave her the ovation, and later she was sprinkled with petals of red tulips. It was necessary to communicate, and Anggun filled the pauses between songs by addressing (the audience) directly. Here, because of the (language) limitations, each time she took the papers with Russian words written in Latin letters. Anggun read them loudly, laughed to the hall, and shone bright with happiness. She seemed to have replaced all the lights, lasers and projectors which rock groups usually surround themselves with Ð with herself.
It is sad, that sometimes we forget: the main job of a performer (singer) is not to show us spectacles, lights, dances (all the things that Anggun was not) but to sing so that the heart, irrespective of age and nationalities, can respond. Unfortunately artistsÕ hype and glory currently serve more obstacle to this purpose, rather than the reverse. Friends! What do we go to a concert for? To hear for a hundredth time and memorize by heart someoneÕs hit at a concert? Or to submerge, get into a good mood, and to experience that awfully trite but necessary thing Ð an encounter with art?
Andrej Masaltsev
23-04-2002
http://www.rgz.ru/arhiv/23.04.2002/repor/txt1.html
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