15,000 ENJOY NIGHT WITH HIGH-ENERGY MUSICIANSOLIVIA OLARTE

Khaleej Times
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April 25 2009
UAE

ABU DHABI – The first night of WOMAD Abu Dhabi was a huge success
with over 15,000 spectators in attendance.

The long stretch of beach ground at the Corniche in Abu Dhabi became
abuzz with activities from 6pm with eager school children and parents
joining the workshops hosted by Malarky and Ranbir Kaur. Eager little
faces and hands were all excited to show off their talents on various
craft creation.

The Dubai Drums workshop received a good following from children who
aspire of becoming musicians. They learned how to play drums and
tambourines and later on presented their newly-acquired skills in
front of a large audience, including proud parents.

When the much-awaited Zimbabwean group Siyaya came on stage, the
crowd was instantly won over by this high-energy group of musicians,
percussionists, vocalists and dancers.

Their rendition of Amazing Grace, led by a student from British School
Al Khubairat fused with African effect, evoked a heartfelt sing-along
fromâ~@¨the audience.

Jordanian Oud player and composer Kamal Mussalam with the Emirati
band, Sokoor Al Magabeel followed next and easily enticed the crowd
to sway along with their rendition of Arabic rock.

Both two stages on the North and South comprise two wide cinema
screens on each side to ensure good viewing even at a distance.

As was the usual custom in big events in Abu Dhabi, firecrackers
were launched and enlivened the sky with flash of lights during the
10-minute break. Candle balloons were also a captivating sight during
the course ofâ~@¨the evening. An unexpected and pleasant surprise for
the night was when the Siyaya group donned aprons in lieu of their
costumes and made an impromptu cooking in front of large followers. And
while waiting for their traditional dish to cook, they entertained the
pack of new fans to a second act of vibrant moves, drums and vocals.

All throughout the evening, throngs of people continue to file in. A
large gathering of Indian and Pakistani nationals arrived later in
the evening to particularly see the Pakistani artist, Rizwan-Muaazam
Qawwal. But it wasn’t before midnight when a mass of Arab nationals
came in droves to see the Algerian superstar and ‘King ofâ~@¨Raï’,
Khaled.

Exactly at midnight Khaled’s enthusiastic fans gathered on the North
stage to wait for his appearance. The last performance was buzzing with
excited anticipation. When he finally came on stage, screaming fans
could be heardâ~@¨a mile away. During Khaled’s first song, someone
from the audience hurled an Algerian flag which he wrapped lovingly
around him. Khaled’s repertoires included some of his famous songs
to which his fans unabashedly sung along. As soon as he came to his
last piece, Khaled indulged the audience further to an encore. The
famous singer-songwriter describes his music as having no limit, it
transcends boundaries as "my music is an inter-marriage between my
Arab heritage and the many countries I’ve visited," he said. "I would
like to believe that I am an ambassador of Arab music to the world,
a conveyor of message of love and freedom."

Jordanian national Ibrahim Ali and his wife Amani came to WOMAD to see
Khaled perform and they were not disappointed. "We are very impressed
with his performance, we’re glad we came" he said.

Milagros Orendain, a Filipino national visiting Abu Dhabi for the
first time said although she didn’t understand the Arabic language,
she liked Khaled’s music and voice. "I like Siyaya as well, they are
vibrant and full of life," she added.

Other group performers for the first night included Souad Massi
from Algeria who has started off with an acoustic guitar and wowed
the audience with her rendition of soulful music. Brazilian singer
Márcio Local teased the crowd with his rock music, samba and rap.

Armenian musical legend Jivan Gasparyan stirred everyone’s emotions
with his haunting and meditative instrumental using his traditional
Armenian woodwind instrument, duduk.
From: Baghdasarian