It’s almost four years since the film ‘Shine’ made a global star out of this mentally disturbed piano maestro, and it seems that he’s been touring the world ever since. Whether this is a tragic case of exploitation or hard-cash payback for all those years of purgatory is open to debate. Helfgott’s repertoire is sure to contain a few crowd-pleasers from the film, including ‘The Rach’ and, on the evidence of his past visits to Tokyo, you can expect an evening of sublime musical entertainment, punctuated by the occasional odd lapse of concentration.
Posts tagged foreign
Mixfest ’99
True to its name, the Boston radio station Mix 98.5FM (aka WBMX) brings together a diverse mix of performers for this two-day music festival. The first part takes place on Oct 9, downtown at Boston’s City Hall Plaza, where 1980s veterans Duran Duran share a stage with 1990s hitmakers the Ben Folds Five, as well as the quirky roots band NRBQ, singer-songwriter Jeremy Toback and modern-rock band Train. The next day, at Foxboro Stadium, the festival continues with performances by Blondie, Luscious Jackson, the Pretenders, Natalie Merchant, Sugar Ray and Melissa Etheridge.
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Parcours chanté
The genteel environs of Le Botanique play host to a celebration of Francophone culture for three weeks in March. The bill, which features 30 different acts, caters for very eclectic tastes. Highlights include the sparse folk-rock of Senegalese protest singer El Hadj N’Diaye, the blues of Boubakar Traoré from Mali, the techno of French group Bosco and the electro-Arabic marriage arranged by Tunisian chanteuse Amina. Indigenous Belgian talent is also well-represented with Daniel Hélin, William Dunker, Marc Morgan and Vive La Fête.
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