|
My
concert review:
On June 7, 2003 at 20:30 we were waiting for the lady herself: Esther
Ofarim, who was coming
to sing for us in the KulturPur-Festival near Siegen / Germany.
Right in the beginning she surprised us by singing a new song,
which she has never sung before: "Somewhere over the
rainbow"
and while she was singing it with her untypical moving gestures in her
black dress
and sparkling long earrings, it seemed as if she took us with her on her
way over the rainbow.
[This song she also has sung in Hebrew (Me'Ever
La'Keshet)
before, but only one time in English at the
Ruhrfestspiele 2003.
Let's hope that Esther will sing it soon again!]
The second song was "pavane", which she also has sung at
easter
in the Hamburger
Kammerspiele,
but not very often in the last years.
Then she gave us her everlasting "layla layla" and got a huge
applause for it.
She hasn't introduced any song until "Shirat hanoded",
which she said to be "Ein Wanderlied" (a song of
wandering).
We were very enthusiastic and
clapped our hands to the rhythm of her voice and music by Yoni Rechter's
piano and Michail Pawaletz's violin.
After that Esther made a present to the kind of people who liked to
hear the old songs of The Ofarims by singing "Dirty old
town". As usual she sang it in her own style,
but she had big success with it.
"Besade patuach", a beautiful ballad, she sang together with
Yoni Rechter,
who has written this song.
Then the
first song followed which the musicians together played with the Israeli
saxophonist Eli Degibri in a rather jazzy style and Esther did a wonderful
job interpreting this song with her brilliant voice: "September Song" by Kurt Weill.
The Beatles were responsible for us being so happy about Esther could sing
this song with her amazing gestures and voice. Like an actress she moved
on the stage and used all of her million fascets of her voice to show us
her allround-talent by singing "she's leaving home".
Together with Yoni's backing vocals, Michail's violin and Eli's flute it
sounded as if it was meant to be a musical only written for Esther Ofarim.
"Ma
omrot eynaich" she has sung a billion times in her life, but it
still sounds different in every concert and reflects her neverending
fascets of her brilliant voice.
Yoni took little place in this song by singing the parts in the chorus,
which Abi has sung in the 60s.
Without saying something Esther went out and Yoni introduced two
instrumental interludes:
"Night" with Yoni on piano & Eli Degibri on saxophon, which
was a slow jazz-composition and "Midnight", a rhythmical
oriental song with some jazzy influences, played by all three
musicians.
Then Yoni sang one of his own songs, which he introduced by saying "I
must be very brave to sing before Esther comes back"!
|
