11/02/2007
From Pim's site,Goodbye Concert London 29.10.2007
リンク Pim's message→Goodbye Concert London 29.10.2007
11/01/2007
Nana News form journallive.co.uk
Nana reaches rainbow’s end
Oct 27 2007 By James Watson, The Journal
One of the most successful female artists in history comes to The Sage Gateshead for the first time tonight. James Watson talks to singer Nana Mouskouri.
AFTER recording more than 1,500 songs in 15 languages, Nana Mouskouri is finally saying goodbye to the stage.
The Greek singer, who released her first song in 1957 and went on to sell more than 300 million records, is currently on her Farewell Tour, which comes to the North-East tonight.
“Nothing is forever,” she says. “I’ve been performing for 50 years and I’ve decided it’s time to say thank you to my audience.
“I’ve spent most of my life going from one stage to another and I’ve absolutely loved it, but you don’t always get the chance to stop and appreciate it.
“This tour is my chance to see all my fans one last time and say thank you for all the memories and emotions we’ve shared.
“I’m trying to visit as many countries as possible. It won’t be completely everywhere, but we’ve already been to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South America, and elsewhere.
“I still need to do China and Japan, and obviously I’m doing the UK and Ireland at the moment.
“I’m delighted to be at The Sage Gateshead this weekend as I’ve never been there before and it’s nice to play new venues.”
Nana’s farewell tour will culminate in her native Greece next year. She says it was always the obvious choice for her final show. “I come from Greece originally, so it felt natural to return to where I came from. The tour should be finished next summer and it will be good to be home again as it feels like I’ve been constantly travelling for the last 50 years – although I strongly believe life is about the journey, not the destination.”
Nana, who is now in her 70s, says she is looking forward to singing some of her favourite songs for audiences in the UK, but admits it is difficult to choose them.
“Different songs are important to the audience for different reasons and it is the same for me,” she says. “I try to tell my story through the songs and pass on their meaning to the audience.
“I think songs can be magical.”
She says: “I’ve been singing Over The Rainbow since I was a little girl, almost unconsciously, and the meaning of The Wizard of Oz has always held a special importance to me as I feel you need heart, courage, and a brain to go through life.
“Songs have been lessons for me and working with great songwriters like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Neil Young, among others, has been very educating to me.
“People like Quincy Jones and Harry Belafonte were also very inspiring, while recording songs by the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones was wonderful.
“I’ve always tried to make the most of my time with other artists and learn as much as possible.
“One of things I want to do now is pass on what I have learned to young people. I think it’s very important to have the opportunity to speak to young people and children and a lot of my humanitarian work is in that area.”
Nana was appointed a Unicef goodwill ambassador in 1993 and says that growing up during the Nazi occupation of Greece in the Second World War gave her the determination to use her fame to do good.
“Living under the Nazi occupation leaves a mark you can never lose completely. I was happy to escape with my family, but it will never be forgotten and I cannot be indifferent when I see suffering elsewhere.
“This is why I work with the UN. There is still so much poverty and oppression in the world and I think music and culture have very important roles to play.”
The singer currently lives in Switzerland, but has several homes elsewhere and says one of the benefits of retiring will be having a more settled existence. She says: “For years I have lived everywhere. Now I want to decide on one home. My children, who are both grown up now, will be happy about that. They both think its time for me to step aside while I’m still fit and well.”
Nana, who will be releasing an autobiography entitled The Night Owl’s Daughter next year, has often been referred to as the most successful female solo artist of all time, but insists she just wants to be remembered as someone loved in many countries.
“I cannot believe I’m the most successful, but I’m very proud to have sung in many countries, in many different languages and to have been loved around the world.”
Oct 27 2007 By James Watson, The Journal
One of the most successful female artists in history comes to The Sage Gateshead for the first time tonight. James Watson talks to singer Nana Mouskouri.
AFTER recording more than 1,500 songs in 15 languages, Nana Mouskouri is finally saying goodbye to the stage.
The Greek singer, who released her first song in 1957 and went on to sell more than 300 million records, is currently on her Farewell Tour, which comes to the North-East tonight.
“Nothing is forever,” she says. “I’ve been performing for 50 years and I’ve decided it’s time to say thank you to my audience.
“I’ve spent most of my life going from one stage to another and I’ve absolutely loved it, but you don’t always get the chance to stop and appreciate it.
“This tour is my chance to see all my fans one last time and say thank you for all the memories and emotions we’ve shared.
“I’m trying to visit as many countries as possible. It won’t be completely everywhere, but we’ve already been to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, South America, and elsewhere.
“I still need to do China and Japan, and obviously I’m doing the UK and Ireland at the moment.
“I’m delighted to be at The Sage Gateshead this weekend as I’ve never been there before and it’s nice to play new venues.”
Nana’s farewell tour will culminate in her native Greece next year. She says it was always the obvious choice for her final show. “I come from Greece originally, so it felt natural to return to where I came from. The tour should be finished next summer and it will be good to be home again as it feels like I’ve been constantly travelling for the last 50 years – although I strongly believe life is about the journey, not the destination.”
Nana, who is now in her 70s, says she is looking forward to singing some of her favourite songs for audiences in the UK, but admits it is difficult to choose them.
“Different songs are important to the audience for different reasons and it is the same for me,” she says. “I try to tell my story through the songs and pass on their meaning to the audience.
“I think songs can be magical.”
She says: “I’ve been singing Over The Rainbow since I was a little girl, almost unconsciously, and the meaning of The Wizard of Oz has always held a special importance to me as I feel you need heart, courage, and a brain to go through life.
“Songs have been lessons for me and working with great songwriters like Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Neil Young, among others, has been very educating to me.
“People like Quincy Jones and Harry Belafonte were also very inspiring, while recording songs by the likes of Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones was wonderful.
“I’ve always tried to make the most of my time with other artists and learn as much as possible.
“One of things I want to do now is pass on what I have learned to young people. I think it’s very important to have the opportunity to speak to young people and children and a lot of my humanitarian work is in that area.”
Nana was appointed a Unicef goodwill ambassador in 1993 and says that growing up during the Nazi occupation of Greece in the Second World War gave her the determination to use her fame to do good.
“Living under the Nazi occupation leaves a mark you can never lose completely. I was happy to escape with my family, but it will never be forgotten and I cannot be indifferent when I see suffering elsewhere.
“This is why I work with the UN. There is still so much poverty and oppression in the world and I think music and culture have very important roles to play.”
The singer currently lives in Switzerland, but has several homes elsewhere and says one of the benefits of retiring will be having a more settled existence. She says: “For years I have lived everywhere. Now I want to decide on one home. My children, who are both grown up now, will be happy about that. They both think its time for me to step aside while I’m still fit and well.”
Nana, who will be releasing an autobiography entitled The Night Owl’s Daughter next year, has often been referred to as the most successful female solo artist of all time, but insists she just wants to be remembered as someone loved in many countries.
“I cannot believe I’m the most successful, but I’m very proud to have sung in many countries, in many different languages and to have been loved around the world.”
Some clips news from Performing Songwriter, Issue No105
検索で、Nana Mouskouriの雑誌記事の広告をみつけた。
内容はさだかでないが、ご紹介する。→こちら the latest Issue of Performing Songwriter, ISSUE No. 105
By Bill Demain
………………Russia doesn’t need Mariah Carey. They’ve got Alla Pugacheva. Italy could take or leave Barbra Streisand. They’ve got Mina. And why would Japan bother with Bon Jovi when they’ve got a homegrown version in the B’z?
Americans like to flatter themselves by thinking they both invented and hold the patent on platinum-selling superstars. But since the rock era began, hundreds of millions of albums have been sold by artists whose names remain as obscure to most of us as those of 19th-century Swedish kings.
While Nana Mouskouri and Zamfir may ring a bell—thanks to late-night TV ads—how about Wei Wei, Elissa, Daler Mehndi and Gloria Trevi? Yet in their respective countries, these artists are revered as heroes—saints, even.
Many of these acts initially modeled themselves on Western counterparts—Mouskouri cites Ella Fitzgerald as her creative mentor—but they added international flair by pulling their own native music into the mix. Johnny Hallyday, a kind of Gallic Elvis, combined American rockabilly, French chanson (lyric-driven story songs) and an electric stage presence to sell millions of records. The late Ofra Haza crossed Yemenite folk and sacred music with electronic pop and was hailed as the “Madonna of the East.”
For more, get the latest Issue of Performing Songwriter, ISSUE No. 105
……………
内容はさだかでないが、ご紹介する。→こちら the latest Issue of Performing Songwriter, ISSUE No. 105
By Bill Demain
………………Russia doesn’t need Mariah Carey. They’ve got Alla Pugacheva. Italy could take or leave Barbra Streisand. They’ve got Mina. And why would Japan bother with Bon Jovi when they’ve got a homegrown version in the B’z?
Americans like to flatter themselves by thinking they both invented and hold the patent on platinum-selling superstars. But since the rock era began, hundreds of millions of albums have been sold by artists whose names remain as obscure to most of us as those of 19th-century Swedish kings.
While Nana Mouskouri and Zamfir may ring a bell—thanks to late-night TV ads—how about Wei Wei, Elissa, Daler Mehndi and Gloria Trevi? Yet in their respective countries, these artists are revered as heroes—saints, even.
Many of these acts initially modeled themselves on Western counterparts—Mouskouri cites Ella Fitzgerald as her creative mentor—but they added international flair by pulling their own native music into the mix. Johnny Hallyday, a kind of Gallic Elvis, combined American rockabilly, French chanson (lyric-driven story songs) and an electric stage presence to sell millions of records. The late Ofra Haza crossed Yemenite folk and sacred music with electronic pop and was hailed as the “Madonna of the East.”
For more, get the latest Issue of Performing Songwriter, ISSUE No. 105
……………
Nana mouskouri ave maria
Nana mouskouri ave maria by memere711 une magnifique chanson de nana mouskouri
Nana News from grhomeboy.wordpress.com
Nana News from grhomeboy.wordpress.com
Nana Mouskouri sets off on farewell tour after 40-year career
October 31, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in MusicLife, MusicLife Greek.
It could have all been so different. Back in 1966, a young Nana Mouskouri, then relatively little known outside mainland Europe, embarked on a tour of the US with Harry Belafonte.
It was a big moment in her embryonic career. The calypso legend loved Nana’s voice but when it came to her choice of eyewear he was unequivocal, insisting she ditch the black horn-rimmed specs on stage. According to the fairytale legend that is her life story, Nana acceded to his demands but grew deeply unhappy. After two days of sadness it was her turn to deliver the ultimatum to Belafonte, love me, love my glasses. The glasses stayed.
Forty years on, 450 albums, 230 gold and platinum discs and more than 300 million records sold later, Nana Mouskouri took to the stage of St David’s Hall in Cardiff last week still sporting those famous spectacles to begin the first British night of her epic farewell tour.
She will perform before sell-out crowds in Gateshead, London, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham before decamping to Saarbrucken in Germany where the world first took notice of the commercial potential of the young Greek singer with the nightingale voice. It was there that her German language version of “White Rose from Athens” sold more than a million copies.
The Nana musical juggernaut has already rolled across the US, North America and Ireland this year before going to Britain. After touring mainland Europe, she will then head to Australia, Asia and South America in 2008 where her loyal army of fans are waiting to bid their ageless heroine with the jet black hair and trademark centre parting, a tearful adieu.
It is not bad going for a woman who turned 73 two weeks ago. Though still clearly in rude good health and at the top of her game Mouskouri insists that, after singing for 50 years, it is time to make way for younger performers.
There can be little doubt that few singers coming through today in this increasingly fickle world can expect to emulate the kind of musical longevity she has enjoyed. Nor in this fast-moving digital age, where pop stars must reinvent themselves every few months to stay in touch, can they hope to do so by sticking so closely to the geeky image and basic musical formula that have proved so incredibly popular for Mouskouri over the decades.
Nana was born into a close-knit family in Chania, Crete, moving to Athens at the age of three. The city was occupied by the Nazis for much of her childhood yet her father, a film projectionist, and her mother who taught her the native folk songs, worked hard to get her and her sister into the Hellenic Conservatoire.
She recalls how, by night, her dad used to slip away to fight with the Greek resistance against the German invaders. Times were tough as well as dangerous and despite the money running out she continued to have lessons though her teacher’s desire for her to be the next Maria Callas could not survive her nights at the city’s Zaki club where she learned how to sing like her new heroines Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.
Her route to fame was the Greek National song contest and Mouskouri was later to be something of the patron saint of the later Eurovision movement, first representing Luxembourg because her native land did not have television. She eventually made an emotional performance when the contest was finally held in Greece for the first time in 2006.
Marriage came along in 1961 and her fame spread to France and Germany before her first trip to New York with legendary impresario Quincy Jones. British audiences had to wait until 1968 when she made her first television appearances on Nana and Guests. At that time, however, the record shops were woefully unprepared and had to desperately seek out some of her records to satisfy the demands of her fans.
Yet the Nana story had another twist yet. In 1993 she was appointed as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, undertaking a mission to visit children in Bosnia. The following year she was elected as a Member of the European Parliament, representing the right wing Greek New Democracy party. She claims not to have liked politics, “it dries your heart” she once said, though despite being heckled by her fellow Eurocrats for her apparent guilelessnes, she proved an effective communicator, even joining forces with her old Eurovision sparring partner Dana when she ran for the Irish Presidency. In 1998, Mouskouri came back to the UK, that time seeking the return of the Parthenon Marbles and campaigned across the world for women’s rights.
She served only one term as an MEP, returning to her Unicef work and making music. Having divorced her husband in the mid-70s, she lives with her partner Andre Chapelle and plans to dedicate the rest of her life to her family and her humanitarian work. While still wearing those glasses, of course.
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