[Elilta (Cry of Joy): Ethiopian Classical Music by Girma Yifrashewa; Elilta (7:06), Ambassel (9:40), Chewata (9:31), Sememen (9:50), My Strong Will (7:32), The Shepherd with the Flute (8:50); Girma Yifrashewa, piano; Doroteya Dimitrova, violin; Lyubomir Nikov, cello; Mikhail Zhivkov, clarinet; Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra; Dian Tchobanov, Conductor; Balkan Multimedia Center (2006)]
Girma Yifrashewa (b. 1967) is an Ethiopian classical pianist and composer who is profiled at AfriClassical.com. He has a very informative website, http://www.girmayifrashewa.com/ We present excerpts from an article on the way he spends a Saturday:
Saturday, 12 March 2011
By Tibebeselassie Tigabu
“When you hear 'Balewashintu Eregna' with that touch of classical music, Girma Yifrashewa comes into mind. He did it as a tribute to Professor Ashenafi Kebede, the original composer of 'Balewashintu Eregna'. Girma Yifrashewa is one of the few musicians who compose Ethiopian music and expresses it by fusing it with classical music.
"7:00
Oh I don’t have to get up at six, there is no rush hmm…one more hour of sleep then, thank God it is Saturday. I always start my day with my prayer…'thank God for the blessings in my life'. I think I heard my two boys’ voices; I have to help them get ready for Sunday school around Bole Medhanialem. It’s been around a week since the big fasting season started so I can’t have milk with my breakfast, but I can still have coffee after my firfir.
"13:00
My favorite time after having lunch and the coffee ceremony is the time I spend with my wife. Since we don’t meet at daylight hours during the weekdays, this is the time where we can have a conversation.
"14:40
The children are napping for a while so I can do the projects I started, or compile music for the coming album, or for my coming concert. I don’t have a fixed time for how long I should practice on Saturday but I always give time to my music. Practice might take two hours or even more than that."
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