Pink Martini has twelve instrumentalists (and sometimes travels with string sections), and performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Northern Africa, Australia and New Zealand and North America. Pink Martini made its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 and its orchestral debut with the Oregon Symphony in 1998 under the direction of Norman Leyden. Since then, the band has gone on to play with over 30 orchestras around the world, including multiple engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Boston Pops, the National Symphony at the Kennedy Center and the BBC Concert Orchestra in London. Other appearances include the grand opening of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s new Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall, with return sold-out engagements for New Year’s Eve 2003, 2004 & 2008; two sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall; the opening party of the remodeled Museum of Modern Art in NYC; the Governor’s Ball at the 80th Annual Academy Awards in 2008; and the opening of the 2008 Sydney Festival in Australia.
Lauderdale met China Forbes, Pink Martini’s lead vocalist, at Harvard. He was studying history and literature while she was studying English literature and painting. Late at night, they would break into the lower common room in their college dormitory and sing arias by Puccini and Verdi – and the occasional campy Barbra Streisand cover –thus sealing their creative collaboration. Three years after graduating, Lauderdale called Forbes who was living in New York City, where she’d been writing songs and playing guitar in her own folk-rock project, and asked her to join Pink Martini. They began to write songs together for the band. Their first song “Sympathique”– with the chorus “Je ne veux pas travailler” (”I don’t want to work”) – became an overnight sensation in France, and was even nominated for “Song of the Year” at France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards. Forbes, though fluent only in English, sings in 15 different languages.
Pink Martini’s debut album Sympathique was released independently in 1997 on the band’s own label Heinz Records (named after Lauderdale’s dog), and quickly became an international phenomenon, garnering the group nominations for “Song of the Year” and “Best New Artist” in France’s Victoires de la Musique Awards in 2000.
In October 2004, the group released its second album, Hang on Little Tomato.
In May 2007, it released its third album, Hey Eugene!.
A fourth studio album, Splendor in the Grass, followed on October 27, 2009.
Sympathique, Hang on Little Tomato and Hey Eugene! have all gone gold in France, Canada, Greece and Turkey; collectively, Pink Martini's records have sold more than two million copies worldwide.
On New Year's Eve 2005, Pink Martini performed live at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon. This performance was aired live on National Public Radio's Toast of the Nation, and in partnership with Oregon Public Broadcasting was recorded for a live DVD and later broadcast on US public broadcasting and French television.[citation needed] The DVD has been rereleased to retail as Discover the World: Live in Concert, featuring not only the full concert, but several vignettes and a short documentary of the band's history.
The band has collaborated and performed with Jimmy Scott, Carol Channing, Henri Salvador, Jane Powell, Chavela Vargas, Georges Moustaki, Michael Feinstein, DJ Dimitri from Paris, clarinetist and conductor Norman Leyden, Hiroshi Wada, DJ Johnny Dynell and several drag queens from New York City, among others. On June 1, 2007, the band appeared on the long-running BBC Two Later with Jools Holland TV music program. On June 14, 2007, Pink Martini performed on Late Show with David Letterman, performing "Hey Eugene".
Pink Martini played Walt Disney Concert Hall on New Year's Eve for the first two years it was open (2003/4 and 2004/5). They returned to play NYE there again in 2008/9.
In May 2009, the band recorded three concerts with the Oregon Symphony under the direction of Carlos Kalmar for the band’s fifth album … a symphonic record which is slated for a 2011 release.
Pink Martini songs appear in such films as In the Cut, Nurse Betty, Josie and the Pussycats, Tortilla Soup, Shanghai Kiss, Mary and Max, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith and have been used on television shows such as Dead Like Me, The Sopranos and The West Wing, among others.[citation needed] Their song "Una notte a Napoli" is an integral part of the Italian movie Mine Vaganti (2010), by the Italian-Turkish director Ferzan Özpetek. The song "No Hay Problema" is included as background/setup music for Microsoft's Windows Server 2003 and was also used as the background/setup music for an early build of Windows Longhorn, now known as Windows Vista.[citation needed]
In February 2011, the group's lead singer, China Forbes, recorded a video greeting to the European Space Agency's Italian astronaut, Paolo Nespoli, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Kaleri, on board the International Space Station. The astronauts were preparing to oversee the docking of ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) cargo vessel, Johannes Kepler, which took place at 17:08 CET on 24 February. The greeting was set to the sound track of Dosvedanya Mio Bombino - one of Pink Martini's signature songs - and was mixed with footage of the actual docking.
In November 2011, they played at the Balboa Theater with the Bonita Vista High School band, Club Blue.
Rwanda Nziza
Pink Martini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wuje imisozi, ibiyaga n′ibirunga
Ngobyi iduhetse gahorane ishya
Reka tukurate tukuvuge ibigwi
Wowe utubumbiye hamwe twese
Abanyarwanda uko watubyaye
Berwa, sugira, singizwa iteka
Ibyo tugukesha ntibishyikirwa
Umuco dusangiye uraturanga
Ururimi rwacu rukaduhuza
Ubwenge, umutima, amaboko yacu
Nibigukungahaze bikwiye
Nuko utere imbere ubutitsa
Abakurambere b'intwari
Bitanze batizigama
Baraguhanga uvamo ubukombe
Utsinda ubukoroni na mpatisbihugu
Byayogoje Afurika yose
None uraganje mu bwigenge
Tubukomeyeho uko turi twese
Komeza imihigo Rwanda dukunda
Duhagurukiye kukwitangira
Ngo amahoro asabe mu bagutuye
Wishyire wizane muri byose
Urangwe n′ishyaka, utere imbere
Uhamye umubano n'amahanga yose
Maze ijabo ryawe riguhe ijambo
The song "Rwanda Nziza" by Pink Martini is a song that captures the beauty of Rwanda, the country Rwandans love. The opening line "Rwanda nziza Gihugu cyacu" translates to "Beautiful Rwanda our country". The song highlights the natural wonders of the country such as the hills, the mountains, the rivers, and the flowers. The second line "Wuje imisozi, ibiyaga n′ibirunga" refers to the hills and mountains which are an essential part of the country's landscape. The imagery used in this song is a testament to the love and pride that Rwandans have for their country.
The chorus "Berwa, sugira, singizwa iteka Horana Imana, murage mwiza" is a rallying call for Rwandans to unite and work together to build a better future. The lyrics celebrate the country's unique culture and language, urging Rwandans to preserve and cherish them. The final stanza encourages Rwandans to continue working towards a peaceful and prosperous future for their country.
Line by Line Meaning
Rwanda nziza Gihugu cyacu
Beautiful Rwanda, our country
Wuje imisozi, ibiyaga n′ibirunga
You have hills, mountains, and volcanoes
Ngobyi iduhetse gahorane ishya
Covered with greenery, shining with flowers
Reka tukurate tukuvuge ibigwi
Let's sing your praises, let's say your good qualities
Wowe utubumbiye hamwe twese
You bring us together as one
Abanyarwanda uko watubyaye
All the Rwandans you have raised
Berwa, sugira, singizwa iteka
Be blessed, be strong, be heard everywhere
Horana Imana, murage mwiza
Call on God, strong refuge
Ibyo tugukesha ntibishyikirwa
What we hope for cannot be doubted
Umuco dusangiye uraturanga
Our culture is our shield
Ururimi rwacu rukaduhuza
Our language strengthens us
Ubwenge, umutima, amaboko yacu
Our brains, hearts, and hands
Nibigukungahaze bikwiye
We can accomplish great things
Nuko utere imbere ubutitsa
So keep moving forward, don't be discouraged
Abakurambere b'intwari
Our ancestors of courage
Bitanze batizigama
Who forged our names
Baraguhanga uvamo ubukombe
Defeated enemies and won us freedom
Utsinda ubukoroni na mpatisbihugu
Defending our borders and sovereignty
Byayogoje Afurika yose
Setting an example for all of Africa
None uraganje mu bwigenge
Now we stand tall
Tubukomeyeho uko turi twese
Let's build our future together
Komeza imihigo Rwanda dukunda
Keep going, Rwanda we love
Duhagurukiye kukwitangira
Let's unite and move forward
Ngo amahoro asabe mu bagutuye
So that peace reigns among us
Wishyire wizane muri byose
Let's put love in everything we do
Urangwe n′ishyaka, utere imbere
Let's embrace ambition and move ahead
Uhamye umubano n'amahanga yose
Let's maintain good relations with all nations
Maze ijabo ryawe riguhe ijambo
Then your answer will be given in your words
Writer(s): Dp, Philip David Sheppard
Contributed by Daniel Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.