Catalan Musician David Carabén to Perform
5 December 2016 Catalan Musician David Carabn to Perform
David Carabn, a major figure in the cultural and musical landscape of the Catalan region of Spain, will present a concert on Nov. 1 at 8 p.m. at Froelich Hall in the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts. Carabn is perhaps best known as the frontman for the Catalan band Mishima.
Carabn is a multi-talented artist who, in addition to his work with Barcelona-based Mishima, is a poet and journalist. He publishes a sports and culture column weekly in the newspaper La vanguardia. He is also the author of the book La forma dun sentit (published by Editorial Empries in 2015; available as a Kindle ebook on Amazon) which includes Mishimas lyrics along with commentaries and introductory material by the author. When the book was published, Carabn was hailed as the voice of a generation in Catalonia.
Mishimas music defies description, says Assistant Professor of French Courtney Joseph Wells, but it is best characterized as American- and British-inspired Catalan indie rock.
At his HWS concert, Carabn will play and provide English-language commentary on some of Mishimas lesser-known songs as well as Catalan versions of songs that have inspired him. According to Wells, his commentaries not only explain his many multicultural sources of inspiration (the German poet Rilke, the French singers Georges Brassens and Serge Gainsbourg, the Spanish philologist Jaume Vallcorba, the Catalan poet Joan Vinyoli, and the Anglophone musicians Noel Coward, Bob Dylan, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney, to name only a few); they also surprise and delight with their subtlety, critical reflection and direct sincerity.
Catalonia is a region in northeastern Spain. The Pyrnes-Orientales, also known as Northern Catalonia, is part of France. Catalonia has its own history, artistic traditions and language.
Carabns concert and explanation of his Catalan songs in English will give our community personalized access to a vibrant and exciting musical scene that is thriving in Catalonia, and also give the audience the guidance it needs to understand and appreciate these songs, said Wells.
The concert is free and all are welcome.