From Fado to Flamenco: Festival celebrates world f lavors

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Dhoad Gypsy Band, which comes from India’s Rajastan, a region with a rich gypsy culture and musical tradition, will give a concert on Nov 27.

The third “Womist – Istanbul World Music Festival” opened yesterday with a concert by one of the best fado singers of the new generation, Carla Pires.

Istanbul World Music Festival Artistic Director Özdem Petek said one goal of the festival was to decentralize the events in order to facilitate the participation of music lovers living in different parts of the city.

At the festival’s opening concert, Pires, with her influential alto voice and strong stage performance, gave the audience a wonderful night of fado. She conveyed the joy and melancholy of fado through her songs, accompanied by a Portuguese guitar, a classical guitar and an acoustic bass.

World Flamenco Day, which is being celebrated as part of the festival, will take place tonight at the Bakırköy Cem Karaca Culture Center. Flamenco Reina, Manuel and Işıl Reina’s group, will present a dramatic repertory with passionate flamenco dances and a distinct Andalusian flavor.

The Kosovo group Kuarteti Pentagram will give a concert on Nov. 21 at the Kartal Bülent Ecevit Cultural Center. The group and their soloist, Anita Ahmeti, will present Bosnian, Macedonian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Greek and Turkish songs in addition to music from Kosovo. Their music has a broad range, covering funk-jazz, evergreen, classic and pop.

Gypsy culture from India

Dhoad Gypsy Band, which comes from Rajastan, a region of India with a rich gypsy culture and musical tradition, will give a concert on Nov. 27 at the Kartal Bülent Ecevit Cultural Center. The concert promises to be a passionate and unforgettable experience, uniting the stage and the audience in a trance with the rhythmic complexity of the music of Rajastan.

The roots of the music of Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat go back to the classical Iranian musical tradition. Mahsa developed her original technique through her education at Tehran University and the private lessons she took from the masters of traditional music. Her sister Marjan Vahdat stepped into the world of music in the same years. She took piano lessons from Minoo Mohebbi, traditional singing technique lessons from Maleki, setar lessons from Romin Kakavanol and Masoud Shoari. This poetic night of music with the unique interpretation and voice colors of Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat will take place at the Bakırköy Cem Karaca Culture Center on Nov. 28.

The band Forabandit rose from the collaboration of three musicians from three different cultures. French singer and mandolin player Sam Karpenia interprets traditional Occitan songs with a modern approach. Ulaş Özdemir, a contemporary representative of the Anatolian “aşıklık” (minstrelsy) tradition is accompanied by Bijan Chemirani, a percussionist with irresistible Persian rhythms. This closing concert of the festival will take place at the French Culture Center on Nov. 29th.

There will be also be discussion on the topic “Poetry and Music in the World of Minstrels and Troubadours” before the closing concert that will take place at 7 p.m. The festival is being held by Pi Production in cooperation with the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Kültür A.Ş.