Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
For the past three years, the Polish city of Gdansk has organised a music event in honour of the Solidarity march, a jazz concert that has grown to accommodate some of the country’s most talented performers alongside international stars of the likes of Marcus Miller, Angelique Kidjo and Bill Stewart. And this year, joining this phenomenal list of performers, were artists such as Quincy Jones and Chaka Khan.
Since entry to the concert was free, there were crowds of people arriving at the gates hours prior to the start of the event. Although the evening included standing on your feet for around five hours, the music itself was fantastic; lively and modern at times, with moments being slower and more atmospheric. At the conclusion of the festival, I realised that despite the occasional opportunity for cultural/musical enrichment in Bahrain, there is a significant lack of entertainment in this department. Andrea Bocelli came to Bahrain earlier this year, and for the past several years the Spring of Culture events have garnered a great deal of attention, so improvements to the cultural scene are being made. Nevertheless, Bahrain has a long way to go before they reach a level of musical renown that is equivalent to such concerts as the annual Solidarity of Arts event.
Needless to say, this has been one of the highlights of my trip back to Poland, and I hope to see more opportunities to experience more musical talent both here and on our little island.
