Location: Ljubljana / RTV Slovenija (Studio 14) / Slovenia
Date: Saturday, 13.10.2012
If anyone stands out from the general Slovenian apathy in this gloomy autumn October of 2012, it’s without a doubt the sharp-witted Slovenian singer-songwriter and incorrigible intellectual Boštjan Narat! Many of you also know Boštjan Narat as a true citizen of the world, which includes his roles as mastermind of the band Katalena, lecturer, host of the show Panoptikum,… Inspiration is right in Narat’s focus! And in a year when everybody’s whining and crying! Well, his freshly released studio album “Konec sveta vedno pride nenapovedano” couldn’t sum up better the state of the little guy in today’s evolution of 21st-century civilized society! The poet, honed to a razor edge by black humor, brought along his backing crew, who also played on his second studio album. So, welcome to the famous “rehearsal” rooms of the Big Band RTV Slovenija.
A solid turnout, though the room wasn’t packed to the rafters! At eight o’clock, editor Jane Veber introduced Boštjan Narat to the crowd in a short, introspective chat. That’s the standard protocol for these kinds of events in Studio 14. After the singer-songwriter got through the brief “interrogation,” he settled onto a bar stool and, as expected, started scratching at his guitar strings, kicking off an hour-and-a-half concert evening with a song from his debut “Strah je odveč” (2010), called Ženske, ki ljubijo pse. The intimate atmosphere, where the stage is almost as spacious as the rest of the auditorium with its seats, suits Narat’s approach to a T. In a musical setting like this there’s no room for sloppiness. More than that, there’s no room for lack of commitment. During the first song you could feel Boštjan reaching for a connection with people, watching the first reactions from the audience. It would’ve been terrible if someone had accidentally dozed off. But this time that wasn’t possible, since these were big supporters of the singer-songwriter, mostly friends and select visitors who are especially drawn to this kind of music and poetry. Once his backing crew joins him, the concert quickly steps up a level. In a completely relaxed manner.
The guy played the fresh studio album “Konec sveta vedno pride nenapovedano” in its entirety. Just before the song “Tisti, ki zna in ona ki ve,” they joined Boštjan on stage: Matevž Kolenc (arrangements, electric guitar, bass guitar, sound effects), who handled the xylophone for this particular song, then Narat’s longtime bandmate from Katalena Polona Janežič (keyboards), Jelena Ždrale (viola) and Blaž Celarec (drums, percussion, clarinet). A well-established, finely tuned backing crew, the same one Narat presented himself with on the stages of Kino Šiška when his new studio album was launched in mid-May.
Narat’s poetry thus shone in full once again, against a completely organic sonic backdrop, through which a heartfelt, authentic, honest confession sparkled, one that draws on Boštjan Narat’s unsuspected musical talent. The listeners were given a proper chill a few times by all the realistic sarcasm, let’s call it Narat’s true-blue black humor, especially when Egon and, in the finale, Romeo julija followed one another. This time around, Narat performed the song Jutra without the duet with Mina Špiler. That beautifully delicate song was followed by the no less delicate “Zdi se,” and the gorgeous melody of the jazz-flavored “Tistim,ki ne vedo” also undoubtedly belongs among such highlights of the show. This is where the sensitive, sophisticated side of Narat’s interpretation sparkles, one that leads the listener so successfully into the rich scenery of the atmosphere it creates, steeped in a mood of real life.
Among these fragile, sensitively accented moments, there were dark and almost scary numbers mixed in, like Režem ovinke, Konec sveta vedno pride nenapovedano and the big closing rondo with Kako končati to pesem?, where Narat was properly out of breath from rattling off words in rapid-fire verses. With an interpretation this rooted in real life, it wasn’t hard to completely enchant and spellbind the crowd. Mission accomplished!
Before the performance of the song “Če padeš po tleh,” we learned that Boštjan’s chemistry teacher was a huge “die-hard” fan of his voice and kept urging him to become a radio “announcer” until Narat actually went for it, but supposedly bombed “at the audition.” Who still believes these days that the owner of a charming voice is the one who gets a job like that? It’s obvious that only connections and acquaintances decide here. And that wasn’t the only entertaining revelation Narat shared with us that evening. We also got to find out what a frustrated system is. It’s never boring with Boštjan Narat. Maybe someone has already hinted to the guy that he’d shine as a “stand up” comedian too!
Another outstanding musical evening in the company of Narat and his colleagues, the kind that leaves you running on strong impressions of what you’ve experienced for quite a while after the show, came to a sudden end. Let’s hope the singer-songwriter keeps up the inspiration he’s currently riding at full gallop on a giant wave of creativity, and that the ideas for a new studio album are already taking shape.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist:
1. Ženske, ki ljubijo pse
2. Tisti, ki zna in ona, ki ve
3. Egon
4. Režem ovinke
5. Tistim, ki ne vedo
6. Konec sveta vedno pride nenapovedano
7. Dvajset let
8. Jutra
9. Zdi se
10. Če padeš na glavo
11. Star mož
12. Strah je odveč
13. Kako končati to pesem?
14. Romeo julija
—-encore—
15. The One I Love
