With Michael Antoniou
It has been three years since I last saw Michael in a live performance; Last Wednesday night at The Vasilkon Winery Kathikas was a revelation.
I looked over my previous reviews of Michael, and there have been a few, and each time, I noticed my comments were about his improvement in his performance. You cannot imagine the difference I saw unless you were there on Wednesday. The evening began with a well-set three-course Buffet, accompanied by the great wines of the Vasilkon Winery; the setting and ambience were perfect. Ntina and I were welcomed by Michael, who had a warm smile and an equally warm embrace for Ntina as he escorted us to our table. Michael’s lovely wife, Anna, came across and chatted with us, giving us a warm, inviting smile as though welcoming us to a family gathering. Anna works the room, and everyone is made to feel as though they are the only ones there, special guests; they do this with ease and warmth, a duo with genuine concern for your enjoyment. It was a sell-out event, which meant the room was buzzing with conversation and a perfectly relaxed stillness when Michael performed. I noticed some had their eyes closed and were gently swaying and miming to their favourite number, sung by their favourite singer. Michael has a large loyal fan following, which also adds to the buzz of the evening. Everyone is friendly and relaxed and enjoys their time with their fellow fans.
His repertoire has grown significantly since I last saw him. Although there were the standards of Sinatra, Martin, and Davis, there were some exciting additions to the menu, such as Perry Como and a new addition, one of my favourites, Matt Munro. Michael’s performance has always been top draw and this night was proof of his dedication to his craft. In my opinion he was always far from being a run of the mill Tribute performer, and Wednesday night proved that yet again. His voice continues to grow in strength and sometimes astonishing vocal range. This is refreshing because no matter how often you see him, there is always a subtle difference in his delivery; he is never repetitive and always highly professional. His act is genuine, never brash or assuming; he appreciates his audience and loves singing, and that rubs off on you throughout the night; you feel part of the event; you are not there just to watch; he makes you feel part of his performance, you are his guest, and he treats you as such, which adds a special feeling to the night.
His voice has a rich flow, which is perfect for the Dean Martin numbers, and also throws in many surprises, especially when his voice reaches some really daunting high notes; a recent offering with Sinatra’s The World We Knew, a challenging song to perform as the man himself also stated many times. Michael performed this number with utter conviction, his features showing the emotion of the lyrics and successfully reaching each high note you felt for him. Everyone admired his performance as he sang, and for this number, the room was quiet until the end. A well-deserved rapturous applause rang around the room; I even think many sighed that he had succeeded with this challenging song; Michael also performed his rendition of Matt Munro’s, ‘If I Never Sing Another Song., a new and welcome addition to his repertoire. He carried it off with ease, and once again, he put his voice to a beautiful song by a master crooner, and it was perfect, a pleasure to witness.
His whole performance is now polished to perfection and his voice is his own, a unique tone that would be difficult to imitate. As I have said many times, Michael may pay tribute to the great crooners, but he is definitely not a tribute artist; he is his own man, with a unique style to his voice, which, as with all good singers, is maturing and settling all the time.
The night was delightful. The time went very quickly, which shows just how good he was.
My only regret?…. leaving it for three years to see him perform.
John Warner Author 