by Natasha Tynes | Mar 27, 2005 | Doha affairs, Music
Last night, we once again conquered fear of another Doha terrorist attack and made our way to the city’s iconic Sheraton Hotel to see Lebanese singer Majida al-Roumi in concert as part of the Doha Cultural Festival. It was exhilarating. We had a blast! Majida gave a top-notch performance that I will personally remember for years to come. She kicked off her concert by praying for the safety of Qatar, something I found very considerate and unexpected.
Her first song was Beirut ma bitmout, or ‘Beirut won’t die.’ She performed it so passionately. It was very touching in light of the political tensions occurring there these last months. The audience — a good portion of whom were Lebanese — clapped and cheered as she sang the lyric calling for the "removal of the foreign hand," which I assumed was a reference to Syrian interference in Lebanon. This is the Middle East, you can never escape politics!
During the two-hour concert, Majida performed a number of masterpieces like Kon Sadeeqi, or ‘Be my friend,’ Kalimat, or ‘Words’ and 3am biesalouni 3aleik el nas, or ‘People are asking me about you.’ [links pull Real Audio feed] I surprised myself by knowing a number of her songs by heart. I guess they were buried there deep down in my subconscious.
Majida looked absolutely stunning and performed so elegantly. I can’t believe she is almost fifty. She just looked amazing.
One interesting thing happened during the concert when a group of people that appeared to be Lebanese left the hall running with mobile phone to ear. I figured something must have happened like an explosion. I was right. As we were enjoying our time listening to Majida’s tantalizing voice, a bomb exploded in yet another Christian area in Lebanon. It is very sad indeed. But I quote Majida: Beirut Ma bitmout or Beirut won’t die.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I had become over-saturated by the continual playing of the songs of Fairuz, another Lebanese diva. Last night I couldn’t help but wonder why Majida had yet to reach the pinnacle that Fairuz occupies in the hearts and minds of her Arab audience. Majida belongs at the same or even a more elevated position than Fairuz.
All in all, we had a great time! I’m still humming the tunes from the concert. I will definitely make sure to add some of Majida’s albums to our humble music collection very soon.
by Natasha Tynes | Feb 25, 2005 | Music
Last night we watched the 25th BRIT Music Awards, or BRITS, on MBC 4. I was extremely impressed by the performances of some of the new bands that were fairly unknown to me. Where have I been hiding the past year? Oh yeah … Qatar.
Anyway, some of the bands that really grabbed my attention were: Franz Ferdinand, Scissor Sisters, Keane and Green Day. Time to download some of their stuff.
by Natasha Tynes | Feb 25, 2005 | Jordan, my nation, Music
Jordanian composer and pianist Zade Dirani will present his blend of Arabic and Western music to Holland-area audiences at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the historic Park Theatre in downtown Holland. Dirani, 24, has won several prestigious awards and has performed before thousands in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.
He studied Eastern Arabic scales and contemporary Western music at the National Music Conservatory in Amman, Jordan, and Berklee College of Music in Boston. At 19, Dirani performed with the Jordanian National Symphony Orchestra and Choir at the ancient citadel in downtown Amman. Since then he has performed before Nelson Mandela, Queen Elizabeth and the British royal family, and other dignitaries
Source: [The Holland Sentinel]
It seems Ziad Dirani continues to go places. Good for him. I remember attending one of his concerts in Amman at the Citadel years ago. I thought then he was pretty good. Sadly enough, you have to leave Jordan in order to make it on the international scene.
by Natasha Tynes | Feb 17, 2005 | Music
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For some reason, I have not been pursuing music as aggressively as I used to in my earlier years. This might have something to do with a shifting of priorities or maybe it’s just because I feel so uninspired in this country that music has become something of a luxury instead of a necessity. Nowadays, the only time I really get to enjoy music is when I’m in the kitchen making a meal, washing dishes or cleaning up the house.
Here are some snippets of the eclectic mix playing on our kitchen music station:
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U2 ~ How to dismantle an atomic bomb: I’m totally digging this album. In this latest work, U2 seems to have re-embraced their earlier style, as this album bears little similarity to their techno-inspired recent work like All that you can’t leave behind or Pop. It is a mix of the old and the new. Great stuff.
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Alison Krauss and Union Station ~ Lonely runs both ways: I’m not really a country-music fan, but this one is different. It is what I think of as modern country music. Alison has a tantalizing voice. I’m hooked on her music.
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Dave Matthews Band ~ Under the table and dreaming: This is an album that I can never stop listening to. It always enjoys a prestigious place among my music collection. Every track is a delight.
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Maroon 5 ~ Songs about Jane: On this, their debut album, this young band made it big simply because their music is so engaging. My favorite is She will be loved.
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Peter Cincotti ~ Peter Cincotti: A young jazz singer with lots of potential. He meshes pop with classic jazz tunes. Very enjoyable listening.
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Nelly Furtado ~ Folklore: This is the album I go to whenever I’m in a dark state of mind. It is enjoyable, up- beat listening; each song is a treat.
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Sarah McLachlan ~ Afterglow: The latest addition to the Tynes collection. It provides soothing songs for the troubled soul.
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by Natasha Tynes | Feb 15, 2005 | Everyday me!, Music
I got a nice surprise yesterday in the form of a package from FedEx that was delivered to my workplace. Inside the package was a copy of Sarah McLachlan’s album Afterglow, a CD Ive been wanting for a while now, with an accompanying letter congratulating me for winning the Music Now! competition.
The letter, addressed to me, was from Orbit! To the best of my recollection, I hadn’t participated in any Music Now! or Orbit sponsored competitions, so it took me a few seconds to figure things out. The husband, who is some kind of a pop-culture walking encyclopedia, answered a question featured on the Music Now! channel and gave them my details as the winner so the prize would go to me. It was a nice surprise and a clever one too! I have been listening to her music all the day and it is so soothing!
by Natasha Tynes | Feb 11, 2005 | Media watch, Music
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I was very glad to find that JO magazine decided to put Jordanian
musician Tariq Nasser on the cover of this month’s issue. It’s about time no? Nasser, founder of Rum musical group, has contributed tremendously to the development of the music scene in the Kingdom. I love his work. This recognition is well deserved.
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Last night, we once again conquered fear of another Doha terrorist attack and made our way to the city’s iconic Sheraton Hotel to see Lebanese singer Majida al-Roumi in concert as part of the Doha Cultural Festival. It was exhilarating. We had a blast! Majida gave a top-notch performance that I will personally remember for years to come. She kicked off her concert by praying for the safety of Qatar, something I found very considerate and unexpected.
Her first song was Beirut ma bitmout, or ‘Beirut won’t die.’ She performed it so passionately. It was very touching in light of the political tensions occurring there these last months. The audience — a good portion of whom were Lebanese — clapped and cheered as she sang the lyric calling for the "removal of the foreign hand," which I assumed was a reference to Syrian interference in Lebanon. This is the Middle East, you can never escape politics!
Majida looked absolutely stunning and performed so elegantly. I can’t believe she is almost fifty. She just looked amazing.
Jordanian composer and pianist Zade Dirani will present his blend of Arabic and Western music to Holland-area audiences at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at the historic Park Theatre in downtown Holland. Dirani, 24, has won several prestigious awards and has performed before thousands in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.
U2 ~ How to dismantle an atomic bomb
Alison Krauss and Union Station ~ Lonely runs both ways
Dave Matthews Band ~ Under the table and dreaming
Maroon 5 ~ Songs about Jane
Peter Cincotti ~ Peter Cincotti
Nelly Furtado ~ Folklore
Sarah McLachlan ~ Afterglow
