In the revived Municipal Theater of Lycabettus, Ara Malikian will appear on June 25 and Imany on July 16
On June 25, the Lebanese, of Armenian origin and naturalized Spanish violinist. On July 16, the theater will be filled with the velvety voice of Nadia Mladjao (aka Imany) and the sound of the cellos that surround her
The salutary sound of the violin always accompanied Ara Malikian and was a shield and a lifeline in his youth in Beirut. The talented musician grew up as one of the child survivors of the civil war in Lebanon before settling in Madrid, becoming a musical phenomenon and filling large concert venues on his own. Ara Malikian, from his first television appearance as a child prodigy and after his decisive distinction in an international violin competition in 1995, which opened the doors of Europe for him, until today, follows a lonely and constantly upward path and evolves into a one of the greatest virtuoso violinists of his generation. The musician of Armenian origin and naturalized Spaniard since 2014 has dedicated himself to exploring the healing power of the sound of the violin despite any adversity, be it a war, the despair brought by social inequality or personal loneliness. Malikian’s recitals on the violin or his collaborations with guitarist Jose Luis Montón, who puts him in the world of flamenco, have drawn praise from the art music press.
In addition to his musical development and adventurous exploration of the violin’s potential, Malikian is artistically concerned with the world’s return to classical music. Highlighting classical music and boosting its mass popularity so that it is once again loved by a wide audience and not limited to a privileged elite who have access to expensive concerts, is a constant request and goal of this charismatic musician, who has not come in touch with the music he serves because of some privilege. So the virtuoso violinist, on June 25, at the Municipal Theater of Lycabettus, will make us partakers of his musical narratives and with true passion will combine classical musical structures with Mediterranean sounds and Armenian folk melodies with some electric suggestions of rock rock sounds as part of a great European tradition.
The soul sensibility of Imany
Drawing inspiration from classic voices of the soul tradition, such as Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, but also from later songwriters, such as Tracy Chapman, Nadia Mladjao, aka Imany, managed to make a big career leap from glittering catwalk model to become a remarkable soul singer, with a seductive “edge” that confirms the eroticism of her performances.
Imany has managed to perform crystal acoustic folk songs with an honesty on the mic that the great soul divas and the most delicate performers of the blues tradition have had since the single “You will never know” took over the airwaves of the city . The rocking aura of the song is timeless and is an example of interpretative fervor. Born in 1979 in the Comoros Islands, off the southeast coast of Africa, Nadia Mladjao grew up in France, where she initially dabbled in athletics before signing a contract with a prestigious modeling agency. After several trips around the world, she returned to France to pursue her lifelong ambition to become a singer, singing in jazz bars and recording under the name Imany, which means “hope” in Swahili. She took her first steps opening for Angie Stone and then teamed up with producer Malick N’Diaye (Ayo), who helped her find her identity on the mic and record her first album, ‘The shape of a broken heart”, which was successfully released in 2011.
Imany will be at the Municipal Theater of Lycabettus on July 16 for the performance “Voodoo cello”, where soul bliss will be combined with the harmonies of the eight cellos that will accompany her in arrangements of well-known songs from Madonna and Ed Sheeran to Elton John and Bonnie Tyler. It’s hard to find fault with Imany’s music, as her songs evangelize beauty, while she proudly waves the flag of both Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin, and manages to establish herself as a worthy carrier of the soul tradition, prioritizing the ease of intimacy. of r’n’b rhythms and thus achieving a feeling of joy that is ultimately a necessary defense against the cynicism of modern discography.
