Review: Ileri Fadeni’s Piano Rendition of the British and Nigerian National Anthems
Art Editor
In a performance that felt more like a cultural invocation than a recital, Ileri Fadeni delivered a stirring piano rendition of the British and Nigerian national anthems at the My Greengene Festival in Manchester, 2025. His interpretation was not merely technical—it was visceral, textured, and emotionally charged, a sonic bridge between two nations and histories.
Fadeni’s fingers danced across the keys with a precision that betrayed decades of mastery. His control of dynamics—especially in the Nigerian anthem “Nigeria, We Hail Thee”—was exquisite. He began with a reverent hush, gradually building into a crescendo that felt like a nation rising from memory.
The British anthem was rendered with stately elegance, but Fadeni infused it with subtle syncopations and harmonic shifts that gave it a fresh, almost cinematic quality. His transitions between the two anthems were seamless, suggesting not just musical dexterity but a deep understanding of their symbolic weight.
The performance, recorded live, suffered slightly from audio limitations—some sharpness in the keys and uneven mixing dulled the polish. Yet these imperfections lent the session a raw immediacy, as if the piano itself were breathing.
– Fadeni’s rendition of the Nigerian anthem was especially poignant given its recent reinstatement in 2024. His interpretation felt like a reclamation—nostalgic yet forward-looking, echoing the anthem’s colonial origins while asserting a new artistic ownership.
– He rarely looked at the keys, relying instead on muscle memory and instinct. This gave the performance a trance-like quality, as though he were channelling rather than playing.
Lang Lang brings theatricality; Keith Jarrett, improvisational genius; Herbie Hancock, genre-defying elegance. Fadeni, by contrast, is a cultural curator—his strength lies in his ability to fuse heritage with innovation.
Like Fela Sowande, he treats the piano as a vessel for African expression within Western form. And like Stevie Wonder, he understands that music is not just sound but statement.
Fadeni’s performance was not flawless—but it was fearless. He played with his fingers, memory, pride, and imagination. In a world where national anthems often feel rote, his rendition reminded us that music can still stir and unify.
