Sweet classical notes from the Horn
… as Girma serves up some nice Ethiopian treats
EXIT David Helfgott, enter Girma Yifrashewa. Those who did not watch the Australian pianist Helfgott had the opportunity to watch the renowned Ethiopian Girma, as he treated classical music lovers to some fine performances last weekend.
With the support of the French embassy in Ethiopia, the Alliance Ethio-Francaise, talented Ethiopian classical pianist performed in the country in two concerts as part of his tour of 11 African and Indian Ocean countries between February 8 and March 19. He played in both Harare and Bulawayo on Friday and Saturday respectively.
According to the director of Alliance Etho-Francaise, Lucien Roux, Girma staged the concerts not only as the first Ethiopian composer to travel widely but also as an Ethiopian cultural ambassador.
Girma concurred saying in addition to introducing the music, the tour would give him an opportunity to introduce Ethiopian culture to all part of the continent. “ The way I will dress and behave in this whole exercise will represent the Ethiopian culture,” he said. To many, Ethiopia has always been associated with reggae sounds of Jamaica showering praises on the late pan-Africanist, Haile Sellaise. The emergency of young stars like Girma has introduced a new lease of life in the Ethiopian music industry. His performance as he played The Shepherd with a Flute confirmed his dynamism.
Girma has expressed his happiness with the tour of duty which will allow him to not only introduce Ethiopian classical music to the world but will also be a learning experience.
“Since I started music with traditional Ethiopian instruments like Kirar, I will use the opportunity to introduce those instruments widely,’ Girma said.
The decision to send the Ethiopian star on a tour of duty was arrived at last year in September following a meeting between the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs an Alliance Ethio-Franciase I collaboration with French Association for Artistic Activities in Johannesburg, south Africa. The idea is to sell Ethiopia’s musical composition and culture.
The event will be an annual exercise, it was reported. Girma was chosen to kick-start the whole exercise because of his wide experience. Though most of Girma’s concerts do not represent purely Ethiopian compositions (except the one The Shepherd with the Flute), the opportunity allowed him to show that Ethiopia is able to produce instrumental music composition. Like his Australian predecessor who mesmerized people in Harare recently, the Ethiopian was to form exhibiting his prowess as a contemporary pianist with a keen understanding of the dynamics of the modern audiences. Girma said this was a welcome initiative worth emulating by all African countries as it served to spread culture and fame for musicians. Western countries as it served to spread culture and game for musicians. Western countries like France and the US regularly send their artistic ambassadors to Africa to spread their culture. Girma left on Monday this week for Nairobi. He will also stage his concert in Mauritius, Maputo, Bujumbura, Djibouti and Entebbe, among others.
He came to Zimbabwe only a few months after Helfgott, a world class classical music star who left a mark in Zimbabwe. The talented islander put up memorable shows in Harare before happy crowds at the Meikles Hotel. Helfgott was not a disappointment for those who came to watch him strutting his stuff at the Meikles dining room a few months ago. The Australian played some of the legendary compositions by some of the immortal icons like Mendehlssohn, Loius Gottschalk and Chopin.
Born in Addis Ababa on 15 October 1967, Girma learnt to play the Kirar, a lyre with five or six chords, at a tender age. He was introduced to piano at the age 16, marking a turn in his life. He studied at the National School of Music, the Yared School of Music in Addis Ababa (named after the fifth century music godfather) together with Russian master pianist Valentino Simionova and graduated with a diploma in piano studies.
He was to receive a five-year bursary from the Ethiopian government to study at the State Music Academy of Sofia in Bulgaria where he studied alongside the famous Bulgarian pianist, Bulgaria where he studied alongside the famous Bulgarian pianist, Atanas Kurtev. It is in Bulgaria that he made an impact as a solo pianist holding shows throughout the country until his return to East Africa in 1995. Perhaps his best show was in the Salabaldini Room in Rome just before returning to his home country to take a post as a music teacher at the Yared School of Music.
An accomplished pianist, Girma successfully explores lyric music, with a marked taste for romantic and impressionist repertoires. He likes particularly to play Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin and Debussy pieces. Recently he was honored with the Phoenix Prize given to artists who contributed to the development of art in the East African country.
Girma is privileged to have played in various piano master classes in London at the Royal Academy of Music under the direction of Professor Frank Wibaut and at the Felix Mendelssohn Leipzing Germany.
