Gurrumul at St George’s Church, Kemp Town
Originally uploaded by neate photos.
I went to see Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu perform at the Perth Concert Hall last night.
It was an amazing experience. Gurrumul has the most beautiful voice and presence. Because he mostly sings in Yolngu the English translations of his words were displayed as a backdrop behind him – they were a perfect accompaniment and made the experience all the more amazing.
The song Wiyathul was particularly haunting and brought tears to my eyes.
Oh the old man cries, from this drink
Oh dad Kampa-Djungadjunga*
Home Mayang-ngaraka bright in his mind
Oh my two mums, beloved mums, hold Ruypu Milinditj
Oh my two mums, beloved mums, cry for the sacred spring Burrarapu
Oh the place Guwalilnga, Warradika, Yumanga, m… m
Beautiful.
*I don’t have the Yolgnu language font set installed to display some of the letters properly.