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Zade and Clayderman, innovation and an enchanting duet
By Jean-Claude Elias, Jordan News
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Zade, Jordan’s most famous pianist, is back with a superb music video that leaves one wondering which is the most fascinating: the image part or the sound part. Indeed, Princess of the Night, released last week, is a pure delight for the eyes and the ears.اضافة اعلان
This time, Zade has teamed up with no one else than “the most successful pianist in the world” (the Guinness Book of World Records), Frenchman Richard Clayderman. Princess of the Night is a duet played on two pianos by Clayderman and Zade, with music composed by Olivier Toussaint, the French musician who has been writing music for Clayderman since the pianist’s beginnings in 1976, with the megahit Ballade pour Adeline that kicked off his international career.
“Clayderman and Zade play music that is relaxing, pleasant to listen to, ageless,” writes Jordan News columnist Jean-Claude Elias. (Photo: Handout from Zade Dirani)
Princess of the Night was shot in Spain, in Xabia, near Valencia. The breathtaking scenery of the beautiful villa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, where Zade and Clayderman played two beautiful grand pianos, is a masterpiece. Class and refinement are the words that come to one’s mind when watching the video. It is shot in colors, of course, but it also smartly uses the contrast between the black large pianos and the soft, essentially white and light blue colors of the surroundings and of the musicians’ black and white outfits; a match for the sheer elegance of the music.
Princess of the Night is slightly Spanish flavored. It opens with a short phrase typical of flamenco, played on acoustic guitar. The orchestral arrangements are discrete and remain in the background, largely leaving the leading parts to the two pianos. The piece is very lyrical, with a catchy melodic line, played with the exquisite pianistic touch of Zade and Clayderman. Again, the performances of the two artists beautifully complement each other.
The equally soft, romantic style of the pianists makes it a perfect combination. Clayderman and Zade play music that is relaxing, pleasant to listen to, ageless. Whereas Zade usually plays the music he also writes, Clayderman relies of compositions by Olivier Toussaint and Paul de Senneville. Both pianists produce music that sounds easy and simple, but it certainly requires great technical skills. Clayderman studied at the Conservatoire National de Paris. Zade started his classical piano studies in Amman and later joined the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, US.
Zade now lives in Spain for most of the year, but frequently visits his family and friends in Amman. Over a Zoom interview with Jordan News, when asked why he chose Spain, he said: “Because it is not too far from Jordan, and besides, social habits and customs there are not much different from ours. Because people there are extremely friendly and, well, because I really love the place!”
Zade has released six original albums since his professional debut in 2003. From the first, titled Zade, to the latest, Un Piano y Amigos (a piano and friends) in 2020, the albums explore different soundscapes. Whereas Zade music is essentially instrumental, focusing on the piano, the album Un Piano y Amigos featured the performance of vocalists India Martinez, David DeMaria, Pitingo, Eva Ruiz, Lorena Gomez, Lérica, Soraya and Paula Rojo, with Zade playing the piano; hence, the album title.
Throughout his experiences, explorations and his different albums, Zade trademark remains music that is elegant, beautifully played and relaxing to listen to.
He will soon start a major tour of several countries with Clayderman for live performances that will see the two pianists play sometimes solo and sometimes in duets.
The young Jordanian pianist performed before many world leaders, including King Abdullah and Queen Rania, Queen Elizabeth of England and Nelson Mandela.
The One Night in Jordan: A Concert for Peace, which took place in Amman in 2008, had 100 musicians and the London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform with Zade at the Roman amphitheater. To date it is his most memorable live performance.
Jean-Claude Elias is a computer engineer and a classically trained pianist and guitarist. He has been regularly writing IT articles, reviewing music albums, and covering concerts for more than 30 years.
Read more Opinion and Analysis
This time, Zade has teamed up with no one else than “the most successful pianist in the world” (the Guinness Book of World Records), Frenchman Richard Clayderman. Princess of the Night is a duet played on two pianos by Clayderman and Zade, with music composed by Olivier Toussaint, the French musician who has been writing music for Clayderman since the pianist’s beginnings in 1976, with the megahit Ballade pour Adeline that kicked off his international career.
“Clayderman and Zade play music that is relaxing, pleasant to listen to, ageless,” writes Jordan News columnist Jean-Claude Elias. (Photo: Handout from Zade Dirani)
Princess of the Night was shot in Spain, in Xabia, near Valencia. The breathtaking scenery of the beautiful villa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, where Zade and Clayderman played two beautiful grand pianos, is a masterpiece. Class and refinement are the words that come to one’s mind when watching the video. It is shot in colors, of course, but it also smartly uses the contrast between the black large pianos and the soft, essentially white and light blue colors of the surroundings and of the musicians’ black and white outfits; a match for the sheer elegance of the music.
Princess of the Night is slightly Spanish flavored. It opens with a short phrase typical of flamenco, played on acoustic guitar. The orchestral arrangements are discrete and remain in the background, largely leaving the leading parts to the two pianos. The piece is very lyrical, with a catchy melodic line, played with the exquisite pianistic touch of Zade and Clayderman. Again, the performances of the two artists beautifully complement each other.
The equally soft, romantic style of the pianists makes it a perfect combination. Clayderman and Zade play music that is relaxing, pleasant to listen to, ageless. Whereas Zade usually plays the music he also writes, Clayderman relies of compositions by Olivier Toussaint and Paul de Senneville. Both pianists produce music that sounds easy and simple, but it certainly requires great technical skills. Clayderman studied at the Conservatoire National de Paris. Zade started his classical piano studies in Amman and later joined the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, US.
Zade now lives in Spain for most of the year, but frequently visits his family and friends in Amman. Over a Zoom interview with Jordan News, when asked why he chose Spain, he said: “Because it is not too far from Jordan, and besides, social habits and customs there are not much different from ours. Because people there are extremely friendly and, well, because I really love the place!”
Zade has released six original albums since his professional debut in 2003. From the first, titled Zade, to the latest, Un Piano y Amigos (a piano and friends) in 2020, the albums explore different soundscapes. Whereas Zade music is essentially instrumental, focusing on the piano, the album Un Piano y Amigos featured the performance of vocalists India Martinez, David DeMaria, Pitingo, Eva Ruiz, Lorena Gomez, Lérica, Soraya and Paula Rojo, with Zade playing the piano; hence, the album title.
Throughout his experiences, explorations and his different albums, Zade trademark remains music that is elegant, beautifully played and relaxing to listen to.
He will soon start a major tour of several countries with Clayderman for live performances that will see the two pianists play sometimes solo and sometimes in duets.
The young Jordanian pianist performed before many world leaders, including King Abdullah and Queen Rania, Queen Elizabeth of England and Nelson Mandela.
The One Night in Jordan: A Concert for Peace, which took place in Amman in 2008, had 100 musicians and the London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform with Zade at the Roman amphitheater. To date it is his most memorable live performance.
Jean-Claude Elias is a computer engineer and a classically trained pianist and guitarist. He has been regularly writing IT articles, reviewing music albums, and covering concerts for more than 30 years.
Read more Opinion and Analysis
