The all star line up of Paul, Ben, Monika,
Aliya,
Carol and Stephen at the TGIF concert on December 4.
Sue K
Under the slogan “Thank God it’s Friday at Ben’s”, Dutch ex-pat and
pianist Ben Hansen has been organizing regular musical evenings at his house
in Jomtien since 2004.
In November and December this year, audiences of approximately 80 people per
night once again enjoyed the high quality of singers and the variety of
songs, from pop to opera.
Ben
Hansen accompanies Monika Petra as she serenades the audience with a
rendition of “As time goes by”.
Ben has a special talent to combine professional singers with amateurs who
participate in his shows. Singers and songs were introduced by a recorded
narration from Andrew Gordon. Many larded with histories of the songs or
other remarkable anecdotes.
It was indeed a night of beautiful, memorable songs from Kazakhstan, London,
Milano, New Orleans and New York”
Aliya Aissoyeva from Kazakhstan brought the house down with her
interpretation of “Kalinka” and “Moscow Nights”. “Kalinka” is a Russian song
written in by Ivan Larionov. The refrain of the song refers to the kalinka,
which is the snowball tree.
Soprano Carol Coleman-Gerlach (US) moved the audience with a perfect
interpretation of Billy Holiday’s “God bless the child” and in a duet with
Stephen Twigg with “Some enchanted evening” from South Pacific.
German ex-pat and Jazz-diva Monika Petra surprised the spectators, not only
with her soft easy listening jazz, but also with Lili Marleen, a German love
song that became popular during World War II. The poem was originally titled
“Das Mädchen unter der Laterne” (German for “the girl under the lantern”)
Paul from Bangkok, a very talented “tenore Napolitano” sang his heart out
with a special Bocelli sound. For a Thai singer he has a remarkable range
and beautiful pitch voice. Besides “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s opera
Turandot, he also received a standing ovation for his “La Donna è Mobile”.
Baritone Stephen Twigg (UK) impressed the audience with a variety of
romantic love songs from South Pacific, The King and I, Kismet, Carousel,
Les Miserables, Camelot and others. Stephen does not need a microphone. His
strong voice carried very well in the tastefully decorated mini-music hall
at Ben’s with very comfortable red plush seats.
Apart from the opera titles all songs were accompanied by pianist Ben Hansen
who has a great skill to support vocalists without coming into prominence.
Stay in touch for the future concerts at Ben’s.
