KVT – Hypnotic Rhythms

KVT and West African beats. An opinion piece about a L’Espace performance that struggles to delete superlatives

Had a real dilemma on Thursday night…where to go….Mozart followed by Rimsky-Kosakov’s Sheherazade at the Opera House, or World Music from Cameroon and the Ivory Coast at L’Espace?

The die was cast way back in January when L’Espace sent out their handsome schedule booklet and the colorful front cover image of musicians Kareyce Fotso and Aly Keita completely grabbed me (and as I was going to the Opera House on the weekend for a date with Sibelius, I followed the decision of the dice and happily followed West Africa).

So at L’Espace where the full house – alive with French accents – was hot with excitement, very famous and very personable Aly Keita beat out three compositions on the balaphon and this explanation from his web page gives a true intimation of how moving (and at times grooving) he plays:
‘Aly Keita sometimes makes lace, in the style Mozart played on a glass harmonica and sometimes takes us into the bush to discover lively imitation rhythms’.

These You Tube clips speak far more eloquently than I can:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apROld5kH64&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnVEvPh5G14&feature=related[/youtube]

The evening continued more smooth than groove when Kareyce Fotso came on for her first song, accompanied by Keita, and it was impossible not to be seduced …

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd4-J305oi4[/youtube]

…. She left the stage after one song and the balaphonist won us over again. Then she came back solo and the emotion was enjoined with foot-stomping, drum-beating, marvellous accoustic guitar playing, and African rhythms that had the audience bouncing along, joining in and applauding with gusto.

The two performers are individually famous and meld beautifully, electric!

The little girl in row 3 had it all right when at times she sat, face wrapt, listening intently and also when she spontaneously stood on her seat and danced to the beat that pulsed through her body. A few lucky grown ups did similar things along the side walls and all I kept wishing was that the rest of the audience would follow suit and jump to their feet and dance. You just knew that they wanted to.

After a prolonged (spontaneous) standing ovation – during which Fotso turned the tables on the audience and grabbed her camera and snapped us all wildly applauding – the duo finished with a softer, bluesy piece that sent us out into the balmy night air smiling broadly.

Another clip to share the wonder of West African World Music with two wonderful performers

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD_LF4Zv2rk&feature=related[/youtube]

We managed to snaffle up a CD of Kareyce Fotso’s CD “Kwegne” which features the songs she sang during the performance and as I sit listening to it for the umpteenth time I feel soooo glad that I live in a place that is so well served by a generous L’Espace.

PS: A young Vietnamese friend used free tickets to the ballet and went in my place and spent an hour after the performance on the phone raving about the passionate young conductor, Mozart, and the dance. It was his first look at ballet and he’s become a fan of the VNOB. I can only cross my fingers and hope for a second Sheherazade season.