Muenstersche Zeitung - November 21, 1996
translation by Astrid Nolde-GallaschThe bard doesn't need the strings
Chris de Burgh was celebrated in Muenster If you expected a lukewarm, bad made rehash of old hits, tasteless spiced with new popsongs, you were mistaken. Chris de Burgh has performed a change that many others of his calibre have missed: Back to the future, to the roots. The biggest part of his concert in the Muensterland hall on Tuesday evening he filled solo, accompanying himself on the piano or the guitar. Only in the middle part there was a string quartet also. But that made the evening slightly trashy. It became almost grotesque, as the audience tried to clap the rythm to the Hungarian Dance No. 5 of Johannes Brahms, which was intonated during a break. That doesn't work. But most of them figured out. So the use of the strings was only little more than a gag. Admittedly the current CD "Beautiful Dreams", which de Burgh recorded with a whole symphony orchestra sounds better and fuller - although serious musicians see this probably different, when they represent the pure theory. But during the concert the classical support was simply unnecessary. Not influenced by a band, Chris gave his voice emphasis. The accompaniment of the guitar was simple and even loud. He didn't have to strike more than a few simple chords to accompany his songs. And so he also played songs which otherwise often fall flat: "Transmission ends", "Lonely Sky", "Moonlight and Vodka" - all those songs, which have more or less the reputation of album-fillings. After a little impressing start, the atmosphere of the "song-evening" - it was probably something like that - became closer, interrupted by the spontaneous entrance of 2 women from the audience; was dominated by the penetrating, clear voice of the Irish man, which filled the whole hall without the requirement of an instrumental assistance. The string quartet - planned as the attraction of the night - was run down to a minor part. A man celebrated himself, and was celebrated. At the end the hall was raging, "High on emotions". The formula succeeded: Not more smooching music, but back to old qualities.