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West met East met West when five Chicagoans of Near Eastern
heritage introduced Harvard to one of the Orient’s greatest composers.
A small, but enthusiastic, group of classical music patrons
gathered in Sanders Theatre on the evening of Feb. 18 to hear the
Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble (CCOE) perform selections from the
oeuvre of Sheikh Sayyed Darweesh. Sponsored by Xauen Music, Inc., a
Chicago organization dedicated to the preservation of traditional music
from the Near East, the performance showcased the work of now-deceased
Darweesh, who is considered Egypt’s premier 20th century composer and
one of the great innovators in Arabic music.
Composer of Egypt’s current national anthem, “Biladi” (My
Homeland), Darweesh was as innovative as he was prodigious, and he is
famous for introducing harmony and counterpoint to Arabic composition
and including parts for Western symphonic instruments in his ensemble
pieces. His career was tragically cut short by a cocaine overdose in
1923, but his productive years were enormously prolific: he left behind
30 musicals, 150 songs and eleven adwars (complex, multi-section,
songs).
The CCOE quintet that played in Sanders reflected Darweesh’s
pan-hemispheric aesthetic. In addition to a violin and cello (played by
Hanna Khoury and Kinan Abou-Afach, respectively), the ensemble included
an ‘ud (Kareem Roustom), a guitar-like instrument that is the
predecessor to the European lute; a qanum (played by Xauen Music
founder and director of CCOE, Hicham Chami), a trapezoidal stringed
instrument akin to the zither; and a riqq (Karim Nagi), a handheld
percussion instrument similar to the tambourine. Accompanying the
instrumentalists were two vocalists, Youssef Kassab and Albert Agha.
Darweesh’s compositional genius became readily apparent as
the quintet launched into its first set of songs. Whereas Western
composers sometimes write Arabic instruments or themes into their
scores to lend them exotic “flavor,” Darweesh’s use of Western musical
tropes is a true synthesis of styles. The violin and cello parts were
not merely ornamental to their Arabic counterparts, but rather integral
components of Darweesh’s sonic palette—Darweesh did not bridge the gap
between Western and Arabic music, so much as he recombined elements
from both traditions into a bold new aesthetic.
Darweesh’s compositions were expertly performed by the CCOE
quintet. All of the musicians delivered virtuosic performances, but
riqq player Nagi was especially dazzling. He showcased incredible
mastery and bravura during several show-stopping solos; rock drummers
with full kits would struggle to match the rhythmic variety and tonal
subtlety Nagi achieved with his single instrument.
The vocal performances were also outstanding. Kassab and Agha
sang in a clear, incantatory style similar to that used in tajwid
(Qur’anic recitation). During several songs, they launched into
melismatic solos that exhibited their incredible range and respiratory
stamina. Their performances were frequently interrupted by ecstatic
applause from the Sanders audience.
As enjoyable as Kassab and Agha’s performances were, they
brought to light the concert’s single fault: the paucity of explanatory
information for listeners unfamiliar with the Arabic musical tradition.
The program notes provided a succinct biography of Darweesh, but little
else.
Especially frustrating was the absence of an English
translation for Darweesh’s lyrics: the program made note of Darweesh’s
advocacy for Egyptian women and the working class in his songs, but
only Arabic speakers were able to enjoy that facet of the music.
Luckily, the universal appeal of Darweesh’s compositions
overcame any cultural barriers to their appreciation, but a performance
of this type should be both educational and entertaining.
—Staff writer Bernard L. Parham can be reached at parham@fas.harvard.edu.
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