Palace of Republic hoorays to Goran Bregović (PHOTO+VIDEO)

Goran Bregović arrived to not exactly frozen Minsk in order to keep it warm on the first day of winter. A full hall of people came to see the famous Serbian musician: Belarusians manage to find money for tickets well despite the crisis. However, the event was not expensive, and there were many foreigners in the hall as well: it was a group of Frenchmen who dashed to the stage to dance first, when the "main part" of the concert was over and people started giving flowers to Bregović. The Frenchmen had no idea that this was not an accepted style of behaviour in the Palace of Republic...

We expected anything from Bregović - the Gypsy flavour from Kusturica's movies, hot Balkan beats, stage jumping, craziness and madness. However, the musician decided not to get crazy and acted in his usual way - he modestly sat on the edge of the concert bandstand during the whole concert. He directed his musicians in his trademark white suit. Victar Babarykin came out to his band in black, as if to contradict Bregović .

We suggest to your attention a photo report from the Palace of Republic. We are adding a video to this report while you are browsing the photos. And some more text as well, although Frank Zappa said that writing about music is the same as dancing about architecture. Also, Frank Zappa had a bad experience with orchestras and claimed that it was impossible to make a good performance of a rock musician with an orchestra. We think that Frank Zappa would like today’s concert of Goran Bregović in Minsk.

Coming up - more text, and a video, after the photos.

It is worth mentioning that photographers and journalists were asked to leave after the third song, as it usually happens. There were very few empty seats in the Palace of Republic, and Euroradio's journalist quietly occupied one of them to listen to the concert to the end. 

The impression of the concert was rather weird at that moment. Goran Bregović's band played very serious and thoughtful songs. The orchestra just contributed to the atmosphere of thoughtfulness. From time to time, the music just exploded with the Balkan temper, but only for several tacts, and then again - a mixture of singing chants and Bach-like church polyphony. 

Sometimes Goran Bregović's voice was nearly unheard - the vocal support was that strong! However, here we should praise the sound directors: every sound was heard in the polyphony of singers, Balkan musicians and the Belarusian orchestra! And, when a merry Balkan beat broke through all this sound mass - everything was smooth and well-tuned.

I had a feeling that many people in the audience were used to listening to concerts standing up. However, the slow and full of unexplainable sadness first part of the event did not encourage for dancing... But as the concert went on, Bregović's wish to rock the pretentious concert hall was becoming more and more evident. The song "In the Death Car" became the turning point, the musicians went offstage one by one for the first time. The viewers were so touched by that moment that they stood up and moved to the stage with flowers, and the guards of the Palace of Republic missed the moment when a real dance floor appeared right before the rows or armchairs in the concert hall!

Goran Bregović sang probably more songs after curtain calls than during the actual concert. He promised to finish the concert with one song, then another one. He always found one more song which matched the situation better. The orchestra was left neglected. At last he sang "Kalashnikov" and the concert seemed to be over. The audience hoorayed to the musicians! It was difficult to recognize the Palace of Republic!

However, the concert unexpectedly went on with apocalyptical Orthodox anthems. Victar Babarykin was prepared for that and his orchestra joined the Balkan band. It was very beautiful, as if Goran Bregović decided to prove that the former Yugoslavia is not just the eternal feast of life from Kusturica's movies, to Belarusians. 
 
He proved it.