Rest of the Fest

We reported recently on the first few days of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music. The View from Fez is delighted to have Mary Finnigan, representative of the Fes Festival in the UK, round up the last of the concerts and goings-on in the city.

Mary writes:
With only lukewarm enthuiasm, I went with Lumen and my partner Chris Gilchrist to experience Angelique Kidjo. We shoved and wriggled our way into seats close to the stage (and the loudspeaker columns). All around us (as usual) other members of the audience chattered, made and received calls on their mobile phones, smoked and moved around. Posses of teenagers roamed the aisles. Artistic Director Cherif Khaznadar pleaded in vain for people to turn off their phones. Then came a thundering crash of bass guitar chords and the dynamic Angelique strutted onto the stage and burst into song. With crew cut hair and dressed in a beige trouser suit, she appeared rather masculine -- but her voice, still powerful despite advancing years, was vibrantly female. Angelique's brand of Afro pop-rock does not align with my taste responses -- but it was not this mismatch which drove me from my seat. Lumen lasted for one number under the physical impact of grossly over-amplified bass and shrieking guitar licks. I stuck it out for two more, but the pain in my ears forced a retreat. Chris is made of sterner stuff and stayed in his seat until the last number, when he and many others were swept into ecstatic dance. Angelique worked the crowd like the seasoned pro she undoubtedly is -- and they responded. The finale ended up with a tightly massed crowd dancing with the star on stage. Chris was very happy when he joined us in the TV5 tent.

Chris flew back to the UK on Friday morning, so I turned up at the Musee Batha for the afternoon performance in a somewhat subdued mood. The Carnatic singer Vasumathi Bandrinathan seemed to echo my emotions. There's a sense of melancholy in her interpretations -- a yearning -- as if she is reaching out for the unattainable. South Indian music is radically different from the more familiar northern ragas, so at first I could not get a clear line on its message. It seemed to be a fusion of sub-continental styles. But gradually my analytical struggles gave way to the ebb and flow of the sound, with Vasumathi's fluid, velevety voice merging seamlessly with the drum and string accompaniments.

Two talented young women singers gave the final performances under the Barbary Oak on Saturday. Waed Bouhassoun from Syria seemed nervous at first, but soon settled into her set. She is an accomplished lute player and strikingly good looking. She reminded me a little of Anoushka Shankar but I ended up seeing her as a Middle Eastern folkie -- think a young Julie Felix with lute instead of guitar. Nadira Primatova from Uzbekistan has the makings of a substantial international career. She sings the songs of her native land with gusto and obvious enjoyment. I played my recording of her set to ethnomusicologist Tony Langlois after the show, because he missed it. "Wonderful music" he said. I agree.

Grand finale night with The London Community Gospel Choir was the usual raucous, stomping knees-up with all the old favourites. Cliched -- certainly -- but jolly good fun and very popular with the Moroccan audience.

Afterwards there was a no-expense-spared reception thrown by sponsors Accor and Sofitel at the Palais Jamai, complete with tables laden with magnificent food and drink, light shows and a six piece band. They tinkled bland jazz while early arrivals stalked stiffly formal in their suits and ties, tight skirts and high heels. Then the gospel singers turned up and took over the microphones. They were on a huge high -- mostly Essex girls and boys who love to party and without further ado, the atmosphere switched from sedate to rip-roaring. We boogied until 2.00am and my moment of surpise and delight came when festival Director General Naima Lahbil bopped beside me. "This woman has spirit" I thought, "this could be the start of something good."

Tags: Moroccan Morocco Fes, Maghreb news