You sort of have to see the full concert from which this song is taken to get it. Some people, not having seen the whole show, are put off by the makeup and costume and the forboding mood of the music. Amira hand selected all 11 songs in the concert and the theme was a dream. Everything about the concert stuck to this almost hallucinatory dream theme. Understood this way, the stark lipstick and dress and lighting make sense.
For many her music store version of the same song is more to their liking. And for that reason we are lucky that both exist. There is a story behind it. Shortly after recording the concert "This is My Dream," Amira and her mother went into town in Potchefstroom. Potchefstroom is very much like a small town in the American south, where shops are inviting and people know each other. They went in a music store to look at the Yamaha pianos as Amira was thinking of buying one. The piano store owner Johan Erasmus pointed out a Clavinova and sat down to play a bit for her. Her mother swears there was no rehearsing. It was completely spontaneous. Amira suggested he play "Caruso," which she knew from the concert, and he gave her a radio microphone and began to play. It was recorded on cell phone.
Amira's mother wrote of the event, "The spontaneity of this is the power just walking into the towns music shop to look for a piano to buy and the shopowner Johan Erasmus showed the digital one by playing for us and Amira sang along. No rehearsels no fuss just music!"
The woman painting is the music store owner's wife Mariqi. When they had sung two songs Amira bought the piano and the painting. The piano store recording has become quite popular and people often mention it as a favorite. I think what people like about it is it shows Amira has absolutely no hangups in singing, that she is just a teenager that loves to sing. All the makeup, large audiences, and dresses are just icing on the cake. As they say 'Amira is Amira.' To be continued.
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