Mozambique: 'Those Radio Days' hit the stage again, today in Maputo
The one and only in rehearsal with Xiquitsi orchestra, directed by Maestro David Claudio. Photo courtesy: Maria Elisa Chim
About a hundred musicians, including singers, choirs and instrumentalists, will gather on Friday at the Gil Vicente Theatre in Maputo to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Classical Music Season.
Last year, Stewart Sukuma was one of Xiquitsi’s celebrated guests, performing in Maputo during the fourth season. At the time, the voice of ‘Julieta’ and ‘Felizminha’ revealed that singing with an orchestra, especially a Mozambican one, was a dream come true.
A year later, and it’s Wazimbo who, despite being a Mozambican music legend and having trod the labyrinths of the trade for decades now, confesses that he has had never an opportunity to sing with a classical orchestra. “I’ve been wanting to lend my voice to an orchestra. So, when this invitation to be part of the Classical Music Season came to me, I didn’t play hard to get at all,” he said.
Wazimbo was a member of the renowned Marrabenta Orchestra for years but confesses he never achieved the orchestral levels he will this evening with Xiquitsi.
“At this closing of the Classical Music Season I will be at the highest level of performance with an orchestra, ever. It was good that, throughout all this time, I knew how to wait. I’ll finally be able to stand on stage accompanied by a real orchestra,” he enthuses.
For Wazimbo, live performances have always felt exciting, but in this case, the feeling is enhanced by a conductor accompanying his performance. Wazimbo will perform two songs: “Nwahulawana” and “Sapateiro”.
Another star of Mozambican music with a voice that moves audiences wherever she goes is also going to perform at the concert: Mingas.
She will surely bring to the Gil Vicente Theatre the Mozambican soul and emotion that has always been her gift. Mingas says that she wants to have as much fun as she can with Xiquitsi, stressing that that is what music is about: enjoying the moment, and, from there, rising to other levels.
“Honestly, I’m happy to be here, because I find this project very beautiful and important to our music. We need to take our popular music to classic levels and to other stages. All this depends on us.”
Supported by the Nkuvu Band, Stewart Sukuma will once again take the stage this evening with the Xiquitsi Orchestra and Choir.
Sukuma thinks that the show will be very enjoyable, as classical music in Maputo continues to grow. “The concert was very well prepared, and particularly in this event, I will sing songs I do not usually sing, which makes the performance very special for me.”
Sukuma believes that, with the kind of concerts promoted by the Kulungwana Association, audiences are beginning to get used to listening to Mozambican popular music played on classical instruments.
Although there’s a long road ahead for the process of creating a perfect symbiosis between popular and classical music made in the country, for Sukuma this is a good start.
What must continue to happen, he says, is to work in more depth so that the mixture is even better. To this end, “we need time, money and investment. Only then will audiences be speechless. For me, this is a beginning of a trip to a pleasant and rewarding destination”.
In Sukuma’s view, everyone wins from this type of initiatives because mixing styles also means mixing audiences and bringing different people together. “For example, an audience that would not attend my concert will be here, and those who would never attend the Xiquitsi concerts will also be here for the diversity that this concert offers. So the music gets more emphasis, it becomes brighter.”
Kika Materula, the project’s artistic director, promises celebration and surprise for this concert.
“The concert will tell Xiquitsi’s story. I hope that those who do not know Xiquitsi will get to know us on this occasion – and those who know us will enjoy reliving what we have done over the past five years,” the artist explains.
Other musicians who will help celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Maputo Music Season are brothers Willy and Aníbal, and singer Yolanda Kakana.
Altogether, there will be about 100 musicians on stage, directed by Peruvian conductor David Claudio.
By José dos Remédios
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