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| | Arts Calendar / December 16 / Concerts |
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19:00 | Camané and His Band (Portugal) |
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 Camane is the leading male singer in the new generation of stylists in Portugal's native urban song, Fado, ever since his first album came out in 1995 - and one of the few men working within this most tricky field. Camane is also one of the most outstanding Portuguese singers to have come out of any generation; a voice so smooth and soulful, so impassionate and yet controlled that you wonder how such wise and weary vocal stylings can belong to someone so young. It all began when seven-year old Camane was grounded at home with the flu and, being bored stiff, rummaged through his parents' record collection. All they had was Fado, so that was all he heard. And he loved it. Then he started singing it. Initially it was all in good fun, but after he won an amateur contest it became obvious there was more to it than that. Camane had his run as a child singer, and eventually grew out of it. Yet he never grew out of Fado. How could he? So, eventually, he got right back into it. In his late teens by then, Camane knew he had the voice but also knew he wanted to establish himself as a serious artist, erase all memories of his "early years". He decided to pay his dues as all good Fado singers should: singing live as much as he could, learning the so-called tricks of the trade, performing as guest artist in theatrical revues (directed by Portugal's leading theatre director Filipe La Feria), doing the Fado club circuit. And he has never looked back. It was during this period that he met Jose Mario Branco, one of the most respected and prestigious singer-songwriters in Portugal - and one known for his remarkably intelligent and modern approach to musical traditions. The two men hit it off instantly and vowed to work together. In 1994 Camane signed with EMI. By then he'd been singing Fado for 20 years, professionally as an adult since the mid-eighties. With Branco as producer, he decided to use his first album as a sampler, recording it live as if he were singing a set in a fado club. And so it was, with an improvised club and a portable recording studio at the Lisbon offices EMI was working out of at the time. Uma Noite de Fados was released to critical acclaim in 1995, proving the prodigy had matured beyond everyone's expectations. Camane was no flash in the pan; in him, Fado, then an ailing niche song, found the perfect rejuvenator, a torchbearer ready to take it to the next level. He did, three years later. Meanwhile, he had performed live extensively, both in Portugal and abroad (France, Spain, Italy, Holland), but Na Linha da Vida, his second album, again with Branco as producer, showed Camane taking risks. The album showcased his growingly personal interpretative style, introducing his own material instead of relying mainly on more traditional Fado stylings, using a jazzy double bass as a rhythmic anchor. The critics knew he was on to something and the album ended up making nearly all of the year-end top-ten "best of" lists. The audiences began to listen intently. Foreign territories - Belgium and Holland first, Korea later - recognised the talent and released the album, accompanied by short tours of those countries, along with performances at festivals in France (Rennes' Tombee de la Nuit and Paris' Les Mediterranees a l'Europeen). In 2000 Camane's third album, Esta Coisa da Alma, released simultaneously in Portugal, Belgium and Holland. "Brilliant" was too restrictive to describe it, as audiences who heard him sing live testified by selling out venues in Holland, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland or France. And yes, he was finally popular - the album won nearly every critic's and public choice awards in Portugal. By year's end Esta Coisa da Alma had gone Silver, the first Fado album to do so in Portugal in many years. Pelo Dia Dentro, his fourth album, released in 2001, was his most mature and evocative. No point in messing with a winning team, so Jose Mario Branco returned yet again to produce a selection of carefully selected modern-day or classic poets set to ten traditional Fado standards, and five new songs. Again, the album was better than you thought it would be. At the end of 2003, his first live album Como Sempre... Como Dantes followed. With sales reaching over 20,000, it became a Gold record and his biggest seller so far. Next came a surprise: a stroll away from Fado into pop music furing a short residency at the S. Luiz theatre's intimate Winter Garden. The 2004 series of concerts, titled "Outras Cancoes", saw Camane accompanied by a full band and singing some of his favourite tunes by Portuguese and Brazilian pop composers. More info
MMDM Svetlanov Hall  |
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19:00 | Christian Zacharias with Orchestra (Germany) |
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The "New Russia" Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christian Zacharias (Germany) who will also be a soloist (piano) presents a program including Overture from music to dramatic Bayron's poem "Manfred" by Schumann; Concert #27 for piano and orchestra by Mozart; and Symphony #4 by Brahms. The "New Russia" State Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1990 by order of the Government of the RSFSR. Yury Bashmet assumed leadership of the orchestra in 2002, opening up a new chapter in its history. Under Bashmet’s leadership, the orchestra acquired its own unique manner of playing, which is distinguished by creative freedom, audacious interpretations and startlingly inspired performances, all combined with a full, rich sound. Many eminent musicians have collaborated with the orchestra. Since 2002, the orchestra has played more than 350 concerts in Russia and abroad, including in cities of the Volga region, the Golden Ring, the Urals, Siberia, the Moscow region, the Baltic States, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Ukraine, as well as in France, Germany, Greece, Great Britain, Italy, Holland, Spain, Austria, Turkey, Bulgaria, India, Finland and Japan. A varied repertoire, successfully combining classics and contemporary music, constantly attracts listeners. The qualities that have made Christian Zacharias into one of the world's most celebrated pianists have also led to his further recognition as a conductor, musical thinker, writer and broadcaster: his highly individual blend of musical integrity and deep musical insight, along with his unique abilities as a poetic and charismatic communicator and an engaging stage presence. Zacharias maintains an active career as an internationally acclaimed concert pianist, with recital and concerto performances around the world. He appears with the world's leading conductors and himself conducts the most renowned orchestras; and many of his recordings have been awarded international prizes. His conducting career reflects his desire to build long-lasting collaborations with like-minded musical partners. During his time as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, he has made many critically acclaimed recordings with the orchestra. Of note is his complete cycle of Mozart piano concertos, which won the Diapason d'Or, Choc du Monde and ECHO Klassik awards.
Moscow Conservatory Great Hall |
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20:00 | Seether (South Africa) |
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 Hailing from South Africa and comprising members Shaun Morgan (vocals, guitar), Dale Stewart (bass), and John Humphrey (drums), Seether embraces a brand of heavy metal mostly associated with the post-grunge era of alternative music, complete with crunchy distortion and brooding textures. The band emerged in 1999 as Saron Gas (a name taken from the back of a sound effects CD) and released their debut album, Fragile, the following year on Musketeer Records. In a country whose musical tastes center around pop and indigenous music, Fragile found impressive chart success. Across the Atlantic, the U.S.-based Wind Up Records caught wind of the band's growing popularity and signed the South African bandmates, who changed their name to Seether in light of Saron Gas's similarity to the lethal nerve agent sarin gas. In 2009 the band took a break from touring to head into the studio with producer Brendan O'Brien to work on their fifth album. The band went back out on the road for another year before eventually releasing Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray in 2011. The album finds itself being much different than the band's previous release. Shaun Morgan's screams are rarely found on the new album, and his lyrics reflect different subject matters. The album is described as being "very strong, melodic, and heavy at times", by the band's drummer, John Humphrey. Seether 2002-2013 was available since October 29, 2013. This album has showed Seether's passionate and perfectionist creative process and underscored that the quality is and always will be job one for Morgan, Stewart and Humphrey. On their sixth full-length album Isolate and Medicate, multi-platinum alternative rock trio Seether strip their trademark melodic thrash to its core and deliver the most poignant, passionate, and powerful record of their illustrious career. With rigorous minimalism and maturity, chief songwriter Shaun Morgan - long one of rock's most unheralded melodists, has become a composer of deep emotion and clear-eyed vulnerability. The band too has developed into one of rock's most fearsome units, playing with precision, grit and authority, yet still light on their feet. After 15+ years of hardscrabble success, it's evident that Seether felt like survival was not enough. They had something to prove with this new album - somewhere farther to go. One reason for the new approach must surely be Seether's close partnership with ace producer Brendan O'Brien (Springsteen, Pearl Jam). More like a member of the band than a hired gun, O'Brien repeatedly championed Morgan as one of music's most gifted songwriters and vocalists and Seether as one of rock's most extraordinary bands. His unrelenting faith in their talent and potential has been something of a North Star for Seether, helping them struggle through and outlast some very dark times. More info
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