Barcelona
Friday, March 14, 2008 - Palau de la Música
Nana is among several international artists who have been invited to perform in the context of the 9th Winter Festival of Barcelona. It is in the splendid Palau de la Música palace which this year celebrates it's centenary, that Nana gave an exceptional concert to a full house. A real musical marathon of 2 hours and 15 minutes without interval, a performance at the beginning of this Olympic year.
She offered to the public an engraved choice of songs with many from "Nuestras Canciones", punctuated by songs in the languages of the European Union (English, German, French and Greek).
Towards 9:30 pm, the five musicians took their place. The regular spectators recognized Luciano, Yannick, Philippe and Christophe. Only, Lucien, the guitarist is a newcomer in the group.
Throughout the concert, Nana was in superb form, giving her best, with a radiant pleasure. She apologized for not sufficiently commanding the Spanish language, but she was always very relaxed, not hesitating to ask assistance in the hall when she did not succeed to find the words to explain why she had been fired from the Conservatory of Athens for having flirted with jazz, rock'n'roll, folklore, these styles, which at the time, were considered less noble than classical music.
She naturally recalled her first visit to Barcelona. It was in September 1960, at the time of her participation at the Mediterranean Festival. The song "Xypna agapi mou" won her first prize. It is on that occasion that her international career began in a dazzling way. That day, she had Quincy Jones and Michel Legrand on the phone. As a shot in the dark, it turned into a master coup!
All the evening, the public expressed its enthusiasm and did not hesitate to accompany Nana when she sang the superb Catalan traditional song "El Rossinyol", whose French adaptation is included in the CD "Côté Sud, Côté Cœur ".
After the encores, to thank her hearty public, Nana interpreted "Hartino to fengaraki" without microphone. A magic moment that closed the concert under rapturous applause.
Many people gathered in the reception hall, towards the elevator. Their waiting was rewarded by a short appearance of Nana accompanied by Andre Chapelle. After a few minutes, they rushed into the elevator in order to join the restaurant and to end the evening around a table with the musicians. In the afternoon, the few faithfuls who waited during several hours from 4 :00 pm had less chance. If the musicians arrived by the main entrance, Nana took the technician’s entrance located behind the building.
This concert was once again an occasion to meet between Nana admirers from all over Europe: Alan, Alain, Alvaro, Anne-Marie, Monique and André, Mathieu, Monique and Jean-Pierre, Benjamin and Benoit with their parents, Aurélie, Laure-Elisabeth, Cécile, Marie-Sophie and Thierry, Ignar and Dimitry, Théa and Monique, Lidy, Jolanda, Katrin, Helen and Barbara..., a beautiful chain of friendship created thanks to Nana.
Christian Langlais
www.festivalmillenni.com: Nana Mouskouri "The Great Farewell World Tour (November 6, 2007)
B News : Nana Mouskouri: "Barcelona has a very important place in my life" (March 10, 2008)
B Noticias: Nana Mouskouri: "Barcelona es un punto de mi vida muy importante"(March 10, 2008)
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EL ROSSINYOL
1659... Treaty of the Pyrenees... Catalonia is divided into two parts. Rossellò -- Conflent -- Capcir -- Vallespir and the half of Cerdanya joins France, the rest becomes Spanish. History is not really concerned about people which it divides, even less by the lovers that it separates. The girl remained on the Spanish side, whereas her fiancé is now in France. All the dreams of the girl, and also all her hopes, fly away with the nightingale for which frontiers do not exist: "Rossinyol que vas a França ...".. Nostalgic song about a love made impossible by men’s incomprehension.
Rossinyol que vas a França, rossinyol, (repeat)
Encomana'm a la mare, rossinyol.
D'un bell boscatge,
Rossinyol,
D'un vol.
Encomana'm a la mare, rossinyol, (repeat)
I a mon pare no pas gaire, rossinyol.
D'un bell boscatge,
Rossinyol,
D'un vol.
I a mon pare no pas gaire, rossinyol, (repeat)
Perquè m'ha mal marinadada, rossinyol.
D'un bell boscatge,
Rossinyol,
D'un vol.
Perquè m'ha mal marinadada, rossinyol, (repeat)
A un pastor me n'ha donada, rossinyol.
D'un bell boscatge,
Rossinyol,
D'un vol.
Un pastor me n'ha donada, rossinyol. (repeat)
Que em fa guardar la ramada, rossinyol.
D'un bell boscatge,
Rossinyol,
D'un vol.
I n'he perdut l'esquellada, rossinyol, (repeat)
El vaquer me l'ha trepada, rossinyol.
D'un bell boscatge,
Rossinyol,
D'un vol.
"Vaquer torne me la cabra", rossinyol, (repeat)
"què me donaràs per paga?", rossinyol.
D'un bell boscatge,
Rossinyol,
D'un vol.
"Un peto i una abraçada", rossinyol, (repeat)
I què més, nina estimada?", rossinyol.
D'un bell boscatge,
Rossinyol,
D'un vol.
"Això, sòn coses de mainatges, rossinyol, (repeat)
Quan tenen pa, volem fromatge", rossinyol.
D'un bell boscatge,
Rossinyol,
D'un vol.