Arawi

A beautiful lesson of humanity and dignity Like the wonderful "From The Sitar To The Guitar" event held at the same venue in 1995, the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation put the best in the world by inviting seven female singers from all over the world to come and sing the peace at Cirque Royal. The choice of the performers and their origins was not a coincidence since the omnipresent message of this evening was to pay tribute to those women, whoever they are, who oppose terror. In vain to find all this utopian nothing - voices as beautiful as they were never silenced weapons - when the ugly Algerian Houria Aichi began to sing to the sound of the flute and a bendir (so of tambourine), one did not have to be an expert in international politics to feel the pain of an entire people. In perfect and touching master of ceremony, Yehudi Menuhin introduced the singers and conversed with them after the benefits of fifteen minutes of the latter. Tibetan singer and dancer Yang Du Tso, dressed in traditional costume and accompanied by four musicians and singers, opened the ball with her pure and slender voice, marvelously combined with guttural choruses from beyond the grave. The hearty and warm applause that punctuated Houria Aïchi's long melodies and complains was amply justified, as the superb voice of this Algerian Berber originary was screaming with truth. In another genre, of an almost disturbing classicism, the bubbling gypsy Esperanza Fernandez took a little longer to seduce. It was not until the arrival of two "claqueurs de main", to give rhythm and thickness to the virtuosity of Salvador Gutierrez, the guitarist, so that this heiress of flamenco turns into "Carmen" Bizet. Just before the break, Noa irradiated the Royal Circus with her brilliant presence with a short repertoire that took the voice of the beautiful, among other compositions, to revisit a traditional Yemeni song. Spokeswoman of millions of Amerindians, Bolivian Luzmila Carpio is the revelation of the evening. His angelic purity dialogue with the panpipes remains one of the strongest moments of this evening. Just as the performance of the legendary Iranian singer Marzieh accompanied by a traditional Persian ensemble. With her right bust and dark gaze in a gorgeous long ash-colored dress, Marzieh reaffirmed and denounced the atrocities committed by the totalitarian regime of the Mollahs over the actors of Iranian cultural life. Just before the final bouquet that brought together all the artists and musicians, Miriam Makeba, one of the symbols of the struggle against apartheid with Nelson Mandela, also sang the pain of his people with an impressive rage and dignity. Utopia or not, music remains an extraordinary and essential vector of harmony between peoples. PHILIPPE MANCHE Available on iTunes/Available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/fr/album/arawi-live/id786534438?i=786534565 Arawi is a song originally composed for piano by Simeon Roncal, lyrics and arrangements by Luzmila Carpi