INÉS KALLAB
Voice Empowerment
"I love to sing, to dance, to write. It makes me feel alive."
Something to listen to:
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Here are a few recordings from my previous program, 'Tango De Pasión':
"Inés Kallab touchingly captured the ever-changing moods of traditional tango and nuevo tango by composers like Astor Piazzolla and Carlos Gardel, with sentimental, charming, and defiant melodies about the joys and sorrows of love. Bathed in red spotlight, she, seated on a barstool, didn't miss the slightly sultry expression in her voice and gestures."
Cologne Rundschau, August 2007"
Balada para mi muerte;
(Ballad for my death)
Music and lyrics by Astor Piazolla
Piano: Peter Wegele
This tango tells the story of a woman who consciously prepares for her death. Gently, she contemplates the aspects of life: her small poetry of farewells and bullets, her tobacco, her tango, her handful of melancholy. She drapes the dawn over her shoulder like a cloak. She leaves her penultimate whisky untouched. At exactly 6 o'clock, she will be dead. At exactly six. And from a distance, she already sees her enamored death approaching to the beat of the tango. So, she begins to dream and mentally travels to Santa Fé, where her lover waits for her on the corner. 'Hold me tightly, for inside I hear all the deaths. Everything I've ever loved is being taken from me now,' she tenderly whispers to her soul, urging it not to weep. The time has come for her to go. 'I will die in Buenos Aires. At dawn. For this is the hour when those who know how to die pass away.' And as she strolls through Plaza Francia, a weary ballet dances a nebulous shadow play. Her memories slowly fade away on tiptoes.
I see death here as symbolic. Life continually asks us to let go of perspectives and identities to come closer to our true, divine nature. In Sufism, for example, this process of dying and becoming plays a central role.
Por Una Cabeza
(By a head length)
Music and lyrics Alfredo Le Pera & Carlos Gardel
Piano: Peter Wegele
Perhaps you're familiar with the movie 'Scent of a Woman.' In this film, there's a beautiful scene where Al Pacino dances the tango with a young woman.
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A man compares love to a horse race. Victory is narrowly missed, just by a nose. And as the young horse comes back, it seems to say to him, 'Don't forget, brother. You know you shouldn't play.' Yet the coquettish woman continually draws him in, feeding him false promises of love and igniting his desires only to burn them on the pyre. All those emotions. All those lost bets. All that madness. All for a kiss that erases his sadness and soothes his bitterness. He swears never to engage in love again. But with a single glance, he wants to kiss her fiery lips once more. And once again, he goes all in.
What I love about this tango is its message, its spirit. Life is a game. And in love, there are no guarantees. You have to take a risk. It takes courage to fully embrace love with your heart. But what you gain is priceless. You feel life, love, your entire spectrum of emotions.
Sus Ojos Se Cerraron
(His eyes have closed.)
Music and lyrics Alfredo Le Pera & Carlos Gardel
Piano: Peter Wegele
This is a very sad tango. A woman stands at the grave, mourning the death of her beloved. The pain of loss is so intense. How cruel this silence is. The echo of his melodious laughter has faded away. His gentle hands no longer on her skin. The pain grips her flesh like a claw. Why did life so cruelly scorch its wings? In a way, she envies him as well. His face appears so peaceful. And on the streets, the carnival of life laughs, mocking their love. Death sets the rhythm, lurking. She also knows that many strangers will come now, pretending to console her. But it's all a lie. Today, her heart is lonely.
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This tango brings me in touch with my inner resistance, my struggle to open up to my emotions and pain. I'm angry at life. I try to bargain. I wrestle with God. In the healing process, there are 7 stages of healing, and two of them are anger and bargaining."
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