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| A musical journey through the Orient
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Ashkenazi singer Claire Zalamansky brings an Ottoman flavour to Judeo-Spanish music on her first album “Gul Pembe Chants du Sefarland”.
Claire Zalamansky immerses her listeners into an nostalgic atmosphere of the Orient of bygone days and Sephardic Jewish culture with its symbols and traditions.
Born in Paris in 1967, Zalamansky is of Jewish Ashkenazi descent from her father’s side. He was also the one who taught her about Jewish culture.
Her music is a mix of influences of various generations of Jews who fled Spain.
At the age of 12, Zalamansky became acquainted with Spain and its popular songs through the work of the poet Federico Garcia Lorca. For the singer it was love at first sight.
“This culture is familiar to me. I speak Spanish since I am young. Spain is the inspiration of my music,” she told to EJP.
Cross-cultural references
Today, Zalamansky divides her time between her work as a journalist and the job of radio producer at Radio France.
She began singing in public with small a cappella performances and at house concerts. It was only later that she by chance discovered Sephardic music.
Her first album mixes Judeo-Spanish sounds with Ottoman influences, beckoning the listener to the Orient, from Cordoba to the edge of the former Ottoman Empire.
“For me it is a way of getting to know my Jewish origins and culture better,” she said.
Zalamansky sings of a culturally diverse Spain where Muslims, Christianity and Jews lived together in harmony.
She embodies the story of exile and the crossing of cultures. Her voice has a very natural sound that is well-suited to a traditional interpretation of the songs.
Religious themes
With her beautiful, subtle voice, she evokes grace and nostalgia and, above all, transmits her passion for music. One is impressed by the emotion and clarity of her voice.
Her album features the main genres of the Judeo-Spanish repertoire: medieval ballads, “Coplas” (Hebrew religious songs) and “Kantigas” (song about daily life).
Accompanied by the musician Gilles Andrieu, she recorded a duet with singer and guitarist, Paco Ibanez, who is known for his fervent songs against Spain’s Franco regime.
Most of Zalamansky’s songs celebrate the rites of religious marriage, but the singer also sings about free love in a 19th century “Kantiga”.
Claire Zalamansky will be in concert 19 January 2006 at 21:00 at the Satellite Cafe in Paris. Tel: 01 47 00 48 87. On 7 March 2006 she will perform at the Parisian Lavoir Modern. Tel: 01 42 52 09 14.
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