"La fête de la musique" Geneva June 2006

The official date of the music festival is today, June 21. It started in 1982 by the then minister of Culture in the french government Jack Lang. This year in Geneva it was celebrated over the long weekend just before the 21st. The first concert I attended was in the Lutheran church in the old town. It is a "hidden" church, which means that the building just looks like an ordinary three storey house. I guess Calvin did not like competition. I was attracted to the concert because it featured the music from Piazzolla played on organ and saxophone. I love tango music and one of my favorite instruments is the bandeneon, an instrument like a small accordion. Its origin is german and its inventor Mr. Band. It came to Argentina towards the end of the 19th century and as one of the stories goes a german sailor sold the first one for a pint of beer. The is speculation that it was then used in the churches in the poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires instead of a real organ, much like the harmonium was used in churches in Europe. To hear the tango from a gigantic bandeneon is something else. It blended remarkably well with the saxophone. The origins of the tango come from the same neighborhoods close to the port of Buenos Aires. A tango is a blend of the habanera and the polka, mazurka and the milonga from Argentina. No doubt that tango's are my amongst my favorite music. It has so many forms and blends. A tango reflects the many moods of life. I can be sad, sentimental, simple, sophisticated, it has soul! All the events I visited had a full house. My next stop was to a courtyard where the tango trio "La Tanguera" was playing. Only three instruments, piano, violin and bandeneon plus the beautiful voice of Daisy Barcos, what a wonderful event. Later in the weekend I attended a much bigger band with 7 musicians called "Tango Sueño", they played many of the contemporary tangos which owe its existence largely to Astor Piazzolla. Argentina has more to offer than tango of course. In front of the Cathedral, I found a concert of the Missa Criolla and Natividad Nuestra. Both pieces are composed by Ariel Ramirez and were performed for the first time in Argentina in 1964. It is an incredible piece of music and brought tears in my eyes. The music is very much inspired by the rhythms and folklore of northern Argentina and Bolivia. The choir from the Eaux Vives quarter of Geneva together with the beautiful voice of Pancho Gonzales and the folkloric band Ollantay was absolutely fantastic. I am not a religious person but I found it a very uplifting experience. It also gave a good idea what Christmas time is in the middle of summer!
On my way back home I crossed a street in the old town called "rue des belles filles".What an appropiate name this is! The middle of the street was completely taken over by a Cuban Band, people were dancing in the street and were enjoying themselves. It is hard to imagine that Calvin lived and preached here. Genevees people are usually rather subdued, but not today, everybody was talking to everybody. I thought I was in old Havana!