AMMAN — Within a swaying crowd, Swedish vocalist Kristin Hagegård and Jordanian guitarist Khaled Tawfiq were completely unplugged and
captivating. اضافة اعلان
At the Jafra center in downtown Amman on Wednesday, the duo
harmonized with an intimate crowd in a quaint and warm atmosphere. The natural
delivery, paired with the venue’s exquisite old architecture and setting,
created a particularly cozy atmosphere, bringing the artists and the audience
together in a shared familiarity. Such setups tend to make the musicians
perform comfortably, in a very relaxed and authentic manner, doing away with
show-off frills, useless decor, and the like.
Unplugged pop-rock concerts were made popular for the first
time by legendary English musician Eric Clapton in 1992. The idea was to play
without electric guitars. The concept is still in fashion today in the music
world, but rarely are performances as unplugged as Hagegård and Tawfiq’s.
At the Jafra center in downtown Amman, the duo harmonized
with an intimate crowd in a quaint and warm atmosphere. The natural delivery,
paired with the venue’s exquisite old architecture and setting, created a
particularly cozy atmosphere, bringing the artists and the audience together in
a shared familiarity. Such setups tend to make the musicians perform
comfortably, in a very relaxed and authentic manner, doing away with show-off
frills, useless decor, and the like.
The emotional voice of Hagegård did wonders with the
selection of songs she performed, and language was not an issue. From English
to Swedish to Norwegian and French, she maintained a high level of musical
expression throughout.
The Swedish artist, who resides in Jordan and has already
performed several times in the country, tends to focus on songs with lyrics
that have insightful meaning, including Scandinavian folk songs and pieces with
well-crafted, inspiring melodic lines.
All songs performed were beautiful and exquisitely rendered.
Whether the Scandinavian traditional tunes, Dark Swift and Bright Swallow (by
Andy Cutting, Martin Simpson, and Nancy Kerr), or Vincent (by Don McLean), the
audience was left wanting more. So much so that at the end of the performance,
Vincent, the song about painter Van Gogh, was sung again as an encore requested
by the audience.
Several of the pieces that the two musicians played were in
triple meter, 3/4 or 6/8, generating a pleasant, nicely swinging rhythm.
Tawfiq’s guitar part was second to none. The Jordanian
musician's delicate touch, refined taste, and mastery of the nylon-stringed
guitar sound not only provided the ideal instrumental accompaniment for
Hagegård but were also an integral part and essential element of the overall
beauty of the entire performance. Whether the bass notes he played gently, with
subtlety, the well-controlled tremolos, or the flowing arpeggios, everything he
did was just right.
Beyond excellent technique, Tawfiq played with genuine
musicality, an essential trait that musicians must hold to please their listeners.
Considering the Jordanian artist is also a composer, he treated the audience to
one of his own original instrumental compositions, Seven Secrets.
The “totally-unplugged” performance allowed the audience to
feel all the natural beauty of Hagegård’s voice and Tawfiq’s guitar tone:
unaltered and pure. It is rarely the case on stage, for even the best
microphones and amplification systems would never entirely do justice to
natural sounds.
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