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Albums
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by Wilhem Ditzel
translation by Astrid Nolde-Gallasch
Calden. The ambience of castle Wilhelmsthal offers a beautiful backdrop
for a summer open air concert, especially when the necessary barriers
fit into the area so unobstrusive as they did last Sunday. With regard
to some fans who travelled from far away, Chris de Burgh started his
three-hour-concert (without break!) around 20 minutes late. At 7:50 pm
it was finally time.
Chris de Burgh enters the stage, grabs his guitar and opens one of the
most beautiful summer evenings of this year with the song "When Winter
Comes". After he declared Wilhelmsthal as a party zone, two more recent
songs followed with "The Words 'I Love You'" and "The Road To Freedom".
That outlined the themes of the night: Songs about the cold season,
about love and war.
Around these subjects the musician with the unmistakeable voice
designed his program so clever that it created an arc of tension which
reflected his complete artistic works - without big arrangements, only
performed on guitar or piano. A first highlight was certainly "Five
Past Dreams", a poetic hymn on love and lyrically as well as musically
the sequel to the legendary "Lady In Red".
For many people Chris de Burgh may be the prototype of a schmaltzy
singer, a label that he received thanks to his lady in red. But you
are doing him wrong with it. The man is a great composer and lyricist,
and you actually would have to label him as a modern bard. One who can
drive moods into heights and create a crackling that attracts magically
and leaves much room to dream for his audience, even in stressful times.
So there were many contemplative moments, for example when Chris de
Burgh sang about the subject of divorce from the point of view of a
child ("Once Upon A Time") or about saying goodbye to your child
leaving home ("Here For You"). But one of the most impressive moments
was the anti war trilogy "Borderline", "Say Goodbye To It All" and "Up
Here In Heaven". When Chris de Burgh sang the line "How man could see
the wisdom in a war?", there was a huge applause in the middle of the
song. With classics like "Where Peaceful Waters Flow", "Don't Pay The
Ferryman" and "High On Emotion" the concert came to an end.
But Chris de Burgh didn't need much time to be asked, and came back on
stage for an encore after only one minute. And which track would have
been more appropriate to end a summer evening at one of the most
beautiful spots in North Hesse than "The Snows Of New York"?
Shortly before 11 pm Chris de Burgh returned once again on stage to
sing five cover versions "A Hard Day's Night", "Obladi, oblada",
"American Pie", "Pretty Woman" and "Hey Jude" for the first time.
Cheered by an audience that after 33 songs finally granted him his
good bye, which he had hard-earned after this great performance.
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File last modified on August 26, 2006