Emile Minnie in concert

-Tim Rowson -

Prince Albert had the opportunity to see the many talents of Emile Minnie on 28 February at the Kevin Hough Gallery. This singer-songwriter not only performed a selection of his own work, but also showed his keen ability on the clarinet and electronic piano.

The set opened and closed with the haunting and memorable piece on the clarinet from Verdi’s ‘La Forza del Destino’, the mood of which was in stark contrast to the body of the show. This saw Emile interweave plenty of comedic anecdotes with his own songs, many from his latest CD, “Nag-musiek”.

These included the evocative poem “Rietfontein” by I D du Plessis, which Emile has set to music and “Sandkasteel”, inspired by a visit to Morocco. He showed his versatility by including two of Edith Piaf’s much-loved chansons.

Emile’s slick work on the piano was quite mesmerising, and he could have happily extended all the magical riffs, which had the light instrument bouncing under his control.

Being able to combine all these crafts together so expertly created a crackling show, and it is the mark of a true artist to be able to pull it all off in such an entertaining manner. This was a showcase of vibrant Afrikaans culture, which had the audience clapping and whooping for more.

Emile has three CDs on release and these can be sourced from his website at www.emileminnie.com.