Tonight, Girl From Nicaragua, three of her friends and I went to see Goran Bregovic and his Wedding and Funeral Orchestra. I had never heard of him, but one of the friends had and recommended him as the greatest artist she had ever heard.
***
I have never seen, nor expected to see, the audience get up and dance in the middle of a concert hall. Where, only a few months ago, a breathless and utterly silent audience had listened to Itzhak Perlman, a thousand people were now shouting, jumping, dancing, clapping.
At first, it was only the twenty or so fans, those who had brought a Serbian flag and were waving it around. Little by little, at each new song, a dozen or so more people stood up. Eventually, everyone was up and dancing. Couple waltzed, twisted, and tangoed in the aisle, hands were up in the air, strangers held hands and self-consciousness was forgotten in the happiness.
This is the kind of music you hear at weddings. The kind that keeps you on your feet until four in the morning, celebrating. There was also funeral music, when the otherwordly voices of the Bulgarian singers sent shivers down the spines of all listeners. While it is, after all, both a wedding and a funeral band, it's obvious they have a preference for the happy times. "Don't die, we're expensive for funerals!"
It was the kind of music that wakes up a universal urge to get up and dance.
A concert best enjoyed on your feet.
***
I wasn't able to find a decent clip on YouTube, but I think I may go and buy the albums/watch the movies because this is not an experience to be forgotten. If he happens to be giving a concert in your vicinity, I highly recommend that you go. You won't regret it.
***
I have never seen, nor expected to see, the audience get up and dance in the middle of a concert hall. Where, only a few months ago, a breathless and utterly silent audience had listened to Itzhak Perlman, a thousand people were now shouting, jumping, dancing, clapping.
At first, it was only the twenty or so fans, those who had brought a Serbian flag and were waving it around. Little by little, at each new song, a dozen or so more people stood up. Eventually, everyone was up and dancing. Couple waltzed, twisted, and tangoed in the aisle, hands were up in the air, strangers held hands and self-consciousness was forgotten in the happiness.
This is the kind of music you hear at weddings. The kind that keeps you on your feet until four in the morning, celebrating. There was also funeral music, when the otherwordly voices of the Bulgarian singers sent shivers down the spines of all listeners. While it is, after all, both a wedding and a funeral band, it's obvious they have a preference for the happy times. "Don't die, we're expensive for funerals!"
It was the kind of music that wakes up a universal urge to get up and dance.
A concert best enjoyed on your feet.
***
I wasn't able to find a decent clip on YouTube, but I think I may go and buy the albums/watch the movies because this is not an experience to be forgotten. If he happens to be giving a concert in your vicinity, I highly recommend that you go. You won't regret it.
1 comment:
Don't you just love concerts like that. Most of the concerts I go to these days are in New Zealand and outdoors. The warmth and sun seems to make people much less inhibited. Or perhaps it's because they are almost always at wineries!
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