Music
OPLRA
SCOTTISH OPERA GALA CONCERT
Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Sun 19 Sep
Scottrsh Opera rs rn much need of tundrng at the moment. so where better to start lookrng for new money thrs new season than rts own ranks? Srnce the company encountered rts !atest bout of troubled tunes. the
response from the general publrc
who make. up the audience has
been of astoundrng reassurance.
If there was ever any doubt I ‘rat the people of Scotland really. really want an opera company of hrgh standrng rn therr own country rt has been firmly cast asrde by the countless requests for ways rn whrch the tans can help.
COupled wrth these otters. some of the yery best of Brrtrsh opera srngers hate wondered what they can do too. In
.10 NA 'MOLINA Stereo, Glasgow. Wed 22 Sep
Communication is important. It's easy to forget when you're phoning around the world that you could be speaking to someone in a different time zone, on a different continent, from a different culture.
‘Oh, you have a very strong accent, I have to re-tune my ears.’
In chatting to Juana Molina l have forgotten about my heavy Scottish brogue, something the Argentine songstress, quite rightly, is finding virtually impenetrable. After an adjustment to my voice and her ears, we’re ready to go again. Which is just as well because Juana Molina is well worth finding out about.
Virtually unknown in this country, Molina was famous in the 905 in her home country of Argentina (where she's calling from) and indeed across Latin America as a TV star with her own sitcom, Juana and her Sisters. A few years ago, though, she binned all that to become a professional musician, but this is no soap-to- pop bimbo story.
Because Molina has produced three albums of subtle and beautiful folktronica, blending the traditional music of South America with the bleeps, squeaks and rhythmic wobbles more associated with the likes of Four Tet and Boards of Canada. Along with her sumptuous voice it‘s quite something to hear. So why the switch?
‘I started off in music. but I didn't make any money from it and you can‘t live without money.‘ she says in an accent dripping with Latin charm. ‘I found a job on a TV show and became really famous very, very quickly and I forgot about music. I didn't realise what I was doing, and it took a long time to come back to music again.‘
An enforced three months in bed during a difficult pregnancy enabled Molina to reassess her life‘s direction, and the result is a blossoming music career which has seen her winning plenty of acclaim and awards, and supporting David Byrne recently on his massive US tour. Now‘s she's playing in the UK for the first time and it‘s an experience she can‘t wait for.
‘l have grown up listening to UK music for all my life,‘ she says. ‘So it’s the Mecca for me.‘ (Doug Johnstone)
Lisa Milne returns a favour
launchrng a new productron tund wrth a specral gala concert. the company has. says head of tundr'arsrng and sponsorshrp Catrrona Reynolds. ‘made a tantastrc mar'rrage of two groups of people who y'rant to help'. Srngers such as Lrsa Mrlne. who was propelled to stardom yra Scottrsh Opera. or, at the other end of the spectrum. Dame Anne Eyans. are comrng together to appear as guest solorsts. gryrng then seryrces free of charge. \"v'rth a target of several hundred thousand pounds'. the gala concert rs but one eiernent of an ongorng fundrarsrng programme. ‘We get so many loyer letters from peop:e ‘.'.'ho have been readrng about us.‘ says Reynolds. ‘And rt rs tor them as well as ourselyes that we yyant to make Sure there i8 an opera company there t'Or them to enjoy and to be bread of rn the years to come.’ Carer Marn
Usual List rules apply.
WIN TICKETS TO THE OPERA
We have five pairs of tickets to give away for the concert courtesy of Scottish Opera. All you have to do is send an email or postcard marked “Scottish Opera Competition’ to promotions©list.co.uk or The List, 14 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1TE with you name and phone number by Thu 16 Sep.
50 THE LIST 9—33 Sei‘
This issue: Chikinki and friends
An unfortunate typo may tell you ‘no man is on Island'. But try telling that to the combined might of Chikinki, Cherryfalls and Dogs. They‘re all on Island Records, and they're all coming to Edinburgh to pummel our ears and have us adopt them as our new favourite band(s). Get to the bar . . .
Chikinki, eh? Aren’t they the new Primal Scream?
Nope. t“at':: Kasaltrari. ()i‘rwiw .r'w ft‘w [‘3' z -‘ -4 ' .1:
Kasabrart or: Tom. and are .'.r.' T." ' :I w " .'
lrke Shakespeare. you see. ru‘. t" .;..'_.:' ».t" 2‘»: 'f.:
But do they rock when it matters?
lhey most cc-rtarrrly do. in ire". prof rrirptr pea. in.» ,.-. ; ’. r- '- -- .‘ the debut album [/(fh Vow irg'mf *‘nr "IL/létt' ' r" 2.“ w: r. ‘ .'..x z . I1. r’l--.'. ()r'der‘ knob tx'rrddler Steve ()siw'w: ()f' f'vw ‘.r ‘ raw 2 H .z- r‘xocals. Borrs. lrezor bot." Nuig’nttty fS'Jm: '1'.r"rrrw :t z
here nor. r'tdeed. them. l‘rt; 'orns'nVuri sfw f ' w,- " i'~" So the freshers also get a chance to tell us they heard herryfalls and Dogs before anyone else, eh? But aren’t Cherryfalls themselves from Scotland?
You know too much. But. strrritiy' srteanrr ;. i'rgrt‘n t tan.» f' r! r .r' . '~'
are from I ondon. but xrocalrst grrrzt;:'.f;f .Jur: MKZAtltH" a f; ‘ [‘3‘77’1‘”“'“vz'l‘”! down south a couple (2‘ years back. "r ‘zrr:t. -',-;,' u' [rm : or r "war.- .w: favourable revieuz’ r‘ these very gums). ‘- . “or e‘; . .r:' " w,- " t " e' ° ' m
made. 'Dayrd Pollock I Tevort Roy‘.’ House. Edinburgh. rl/r'r‘li .Serr.
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Chikinki go wild in the stationery cupboard
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