Few amateur musicians are capable of gathering as many audiences as Woody Allen, of course none enjoys the charisma of the film director, who last night held the first of the two concerts he will give at the Tívoli theater in Barcelona, both with the role exhausted, taking advantage the visit to the city to present Stroke of luckthe 88-year-old New Yorker’s fiftieth film.
A scholar of jazz, a music he has loved since his childhood, Allen has been performing for pleasure for half a century on stages around the world, evenings in which he always has the public’s sympathies, such as the case of Damián and Eileen, who arrived expressly from Madrid to see the performance, “more for Allen than for jazz,” as they recognized at the doors of the Tïvoli. They were among a large group of people waiting to enter the theater for the film director to cross Casp Street from his hotel, located in front of the venue. A patience that paid off half an hour before the show began, when they were able to see his star for a few moments, after which a good part of the 1,500 attendees entered the venue. Among them, Woody Allen’s alter ego, Joan Pera, in charge of giving him voice in his films.
Woody Allen, 88, offers a second concert at the Tivoli this Tuesday
A few minutes late, Allen appeared at the same time as the New Orleans Jazz Band, taking his place between the piano and trumpet. Easily recognizable (if not already thanks to his unmistakable face) for being the only one wearing beige pants, the most followed amateur of music played his clarinet with Corina Corinapresentation theme in a concert guided by the cheerful rhythm of ragtime.
“We will play the songs that were played in New Orleans, jazz, blues, church music,” said the director in the first of his brief speeches, “themes that sound in the clubs, churches and brothels of the city, enjoy them,” he recommended, to regain his place with his companions.
For the success of the concert, Allen’s clarinet was supported by the quality of the New Orleans Jazz Band, directed by Conal Fowkes. Together with the Zambian pianist there were five musicians who carried the weight of a concert worthy of the circumstances, cheered generously by the public, ready to applaud everything and everyone. They thus showed their satisfaction at seeing the creator of Annie Hallwho contributed his music without pretensions to stand out with a repertoire that was the result of improvisation, where, among other songs, Say yes yes (I’m going to Vigo), When you and I were young, Maggie in a 90-minute performance that left the good taste of simple things in the mouth for an audience as much a movie buff (or more) as it was a music lover.
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