phil
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London, Monday 5th of September 2005
STARS SING FOR DARFUR
EMI Releases ‘Voices for Darfur’ DVD with the UN refugee agency
for the people of Darfur
LONDON / GENEVA, Sept.5 - International artists are fronting a release today by EMI of a new DVD, “Voices for Darfur” in support of the United Nations refugee agency’s work to bring assistance and protection to the victims of the ongoing tragedy in Sudan’s western region. The DVD is released in the UK on Monday 5 September, followed by other European countries, Australia, Japan and the USA.
Among the artists featuring on the DVD are Sade, David Gray and Franz Ferdinand who contributed special tracks for the recording. The stars of the concert were outstanding Greek star Mario Frangoulis, Yusuf Islam, Chrissie Hynde, Mick Hucknall and Antony Costa from Blue, as well as a host of other artists who performed live at the Royal Albert Hall in London last December to help the Darfur refugees.
Nine months later, the release of the DVD of the concert by the UN refugee agency and EMI is still sadly relevant, with the tragedy continuing to take its tolls on the lives of millions. “I so hope this will once more show that music has the power to make a difference and save lives,” said Antony Costa, “that this will be a gift with a very special meaning”. All proceeds from the DVD will go to help the displaced and refugees in Sudan and Chad.
The line up on the night included, Nicole Russo from the Brand New Heavies, Moloko singer Roisin Murphy, Alison Moyet, UNHCR's longest serving Goodwill Ambassador soprano Barbara Hendricks, Ruthie Henshall, Sir Willard White, Deborah Myers, Jocelyn Brown and Robbie Craig, Andrew Coleman, Daniel Pearce and The London Community Gospel Choir.
Smooth FM’s Kevin Greening hosted the evening, which was filmed for TV and the DVD by Initial, an Endemol company. Music producer and patron of the event, Robin Millar from Whitfield Street Studios, collaborated closely with UNHCR in creating an exceptional night.
Most of the artists performed the music of Cole Porter in their own varied styles and were accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. British band Franz Ferdinand provided a song for the night and donated half their Mercury Music prize money, while Coldplay also donated a substantial sum of money.
Since the concert Sade has recorded her first new track in four years, ‘Mum’, written especially for the DVD. The video of the track includes footage from Darfur. David Gray, who had to cancel his performance due to voice problems, recorded ‘Ain’t No Love’ for the DVD a few weeks after the event.
All the artists gave generously of their time, talent, and often money to raise awareness of the situation in the strife-torn region of Darfur, which remains extremely volatile. Over 200,000 Sudanese refugees are currently in exile in neighboring Chad and almost two million internally displaced people are living in dire conditions inside Darfur. They desperately need more help, protection and above all peace and security. As talks restart in Abuja, Nigeria, between the Sudanese government and the two Darfur rebel movements, increased support by the international community for the Darfur negotiations could open new doors for a peace deal and eventually a return home for the refugees.
The DVD ‘Voices for Darfur’ (EMI Catalogue Marketing - catalogue number 544 7399) will be in the stores in the UK on the 5th of September 2005, followed by releases throughout Europe, Australia, the USA and Japan.
EMI is the world's largest independent music company, operating directly in 50 countries. Its EMI Music division represents more than 1,000 artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Blue Note, Capitol, EMI Records, EMI Classics, Mute, Virgin and Parlophone.
Proceeds from the DVD will be used to provide international protection and life-saving assistance. For more information on the Darfur crisis and the UN Refugee Agency go to: www.unhcr.org/darfur.
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phil
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Good early reviews for "stellar cast" on new Voices for Darfur DVD
GENEVA, October 5 (UNHCR) – After an initial launch in the U.K., EMI is now rolling out the DVD of a recent all-star charity concert on behalf of refugees from Darfur. Already out in much of Europe, South Africa and Australia, the DVD will also be released in Japan and North America in the coming weeks.
The DVD, which – in addition to the Voices for Darfur concert itself – features backstage footage and three additional exclusive songs by Sade, David Gray and Franz Ferdinand, is already attracting some high praise from music critics.
In December 2004, some of the music industry's most illustrious artists – all of whom are featured on the DVD – joined up with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at London's Royal Albert Hall for a special concert to raise funds for the victims of the conflict in Darfur.
Artists who took part in the concert – described as "magical" by many in the audience, according to Reuters Alertnet – included Chrissie Hynde, Mick Hucknall, Antony Costa, Yusuf Islam, Mario Frangoulis, Deborah Myers, Alison Moyet, Moloko singer Roisin Murphy, Ruthie Henshall, Sir Willard White and the UN refugee agency's long-standing Goodwill Ambassador, Barbara Hendricks.
Early reviews surrounding the U.K. launch of the DVD have in general been very positive: "...It is obviously an incredibly worthy purchase," noted Music Week on 12 September, "and it has also the advantage of drawing some excellent performances from a stellar cast, most of whom elected to perform classic American songs."
The September edition of Record Collector was also very complimentary: "The sincerity of the performers is what raises this above similar events – no one is here because they have a single to plug or to pontificate. Each performer shines on the stage: seeing Chrissie Hynde perform the loungey in 'The Still of the Night' is worth the price tag alone. Alison Moyet reaffirms her status as Britain's best-kept secret, but the night belongs to Yusuf Islam's impromptu performance of 'The Little Ones,' a track originally written for the children of Dunblane, which is so right for the occasion."
Sade wrote and recorded her first new track in four years, "Mum," especially for the DVD, accompanied by images from Darfur. David Gray, who had to pull out of the concert due to voice problems, recorded "Ain't No Love" for the DVD.
British band Franz Ferdinand was also unable to attend the concert, but provided a song for the evening, and donated half of their Mercury Music prize money. Coldplay were also unable to attend the concert itself, but made a generous financial contribution.
Critics have praised the technical quality of the DVD, as well as the performances of the singers. "As a DVD package this scores highly as both a sumptuously shot concert and a full to brimming heap of extras of behind-the-scenes preparations for the concert, and documentaries about the conflict itself," was the verdict given in Jazzwise Magazine.
The conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, which began in early 2003, has now displaced close to 2 million people within Darfur and driven more than 200,000 into neighbouring Chad, where UNHCR has set up 12 camps to care for the refugees.
All profits from the DVD will go to support the UN refugee agency's work in Darfur and Chad.
www.unhcr.org
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