By Ramesh Mathew
Staff Reporter
Leading South American guitarist Andre Geraissati yesterday said he planned to perform with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) next year.
He felt being associated with an accomplished team like the Doha-based orchestra will make him understand the musical interests of the region.
Geraissati will entertain music enthusiasts today evening at Waqif Art Centre, as part of the ongoing Amrik festival.
The month-long festival which started on November 16 is being organised by the Brazilian embassy to commemorate Arab migration to South America.
The Brazilian-born musician, who is making his debut of the Middle East, felt people in the region had great interest in music. “Even though I am performing here for the first time, and that too on a totally unfamiliar turf, I am fully aware of the musical interest of the region’s people,” he said.
The guitarist, who started performing in 1966 at the age of 16, said it was the musical heritage of Sao Paulo that helped him evolve a unique style.
The guitarist said his experiences with established performers of different periods have transformed him completely in the last four years.
Geraissati recalled the days in the early 1970s when he had teamed up with the music-loving Anuar Nahes, now the Brazilian ambassador to Qatar. “We together performed along with aRonnie Von, who was one of the most established names in the South American continent,” Geraissati said. Geraissati is performing in Doha on an invitation from Nahes.
The Brazilian envoy said Geraissati’s music is unique on many scores. “Geraissati’s is a music that gives more meaning than what is being played on stage. It is a combination of different cultures that one comes across from different corners of the world.”
When a colourful, talented and dedicated artist like Geraissati plays music, there will be a number of innovations that an ardent music buff can find in it, Nahes said.
In the last two decades, Geraissati had been putting together a series of concerts and recordings of all artists in the Brazilian instrumental music. He has performed in different countries since 1992.
After the Doha concert, Geraissati will tour Beirut. “I am planning concerts in Damascus and Cairo early next year,” he said.
He said he also plans to perform in Amman and Dubai.
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