11/02/2007
From my guest book, thanks Yuen!
Nana News from eurovisionnews.blogspot.com
Nana News from eurovisionnews.blogspot.com
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Nana Mouskouri performed in London
To mark 45 years on stage the internationally-acclaimed star had initiated a four-year World Fairwell tour.
Her next stop was London where the star had performed to a sold-out crowd at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday 29 October.
The other dates:
01/11 Glasgow / Royal Concert Hall
03/11 Birmingham / Symphony Hall
15/11 Saarbrücken / Saarlandhalle (Germany)
17/11 Liège / Le forum (Belgium)
18/11 Esch / Rockhal (Luxembourg)
20/11 Geneva / Arena (Switzerland)
24/11 Paris / Opera Garnier (France)
Nana Mouskouri has sold more than 300 million records internationally, recording about 1,500 songs in 15 languages on 450 albums.
source:lgr.co.uk
Nana News from manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Nana Mouskouri @ Bridgewater Hall
Stuart Greer
1/11/2007
Live reviews
I wonder what it must feel like, touring the world for 40 years, standing on hundreds of different stages, singing to adoring audiences of all creeds and colours, and then to finally decide enough is enough. That thought could not have been that far away from Ioanna "Nana" Mouskouri as she performed to an adoring audience in Manchester for the last time.
At 73-years of age Nana is in the midst of her farewell tour: she has finally decided to hang up her Tsarouhias. But, not until she’s finished belting out some of the classics that made her Greece’s classiest export and demonstrating why she has won over so many with her distinctive vocal style which resonates somewhere between a clinical soprano and a sultry jazz club singer.
Nana arrives on stage wearing a glittering red two-piece and iconic spectacles. She soaks up the applause before opening with a soaring version of ‘Amazing Grace’.
What follows is two hours of an ageing singing star whose pure joy and escapism from singing eminates from every pore of her.
Raised in Crete during the time of Nazi occupation, Nana’s film projector father pushed her towards classical musical training, but her rebellious love of jazz lead her on another path. Later a meeting with Quincy Jones helped her on her way to selling an unthinkable 350 million albums.
Nana moves effortlessly through folk tunes like ‘Loch Lomond’ and ‘Song for Liberty’ into classical songs in French, Italian and German - only three languages in her linguistic armoury - before taking on renditions of pop songs like ‘Love Changes Everything’ and the ultra-smooth ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’.
There’s also time for her signature ‘White Rose Of Athens’ as she graciously receives yet another bouquet of flowers at her feet.
As you’d imagine there are points when Nana’s 73-year-old voice crackles to a halt and you feel yourself wondering if this last tour is a decade overdue, but rather than blush with embarrassment, Nana takes her shortcomings with a class and dignity.
Throughout the night she is brimming with gratitude for the years of attention and devotion from fans, and as she leaves the stage blowing kisses into the air, what’s clear is, this final performance is not so much as farewell, but thank you.
11/01/2007
Nana News form journallive.co.uk
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
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
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