23 October 2013
Palestine National Ensemble for Arabic Music performs in third show of 22nd Bahrain International Music Festival
The Palestine National Ensemble for Arabic Music took to the stage at the Cultural Hall in the third show of the 22nd Bahrain International Music Festival which runs from the October 20 – 25, 2013.
The ensemble, which is comprised of around 30 talented musicians and singers from all across Palestine, was established in 2010 by Ramzi Aburedwan, who also serves as its artistic director, with the aim of reviving the region’s rich musical heritage.
The capacity audience enjoyed a selection of timeless Arabic musical classics from the likes of Umm Kulthum, Ismahan, Layla Morad, Sabah Fakhri, Farid El-Atrash, Mohamad Abdelwahab, Riyad Sunbati, and Mohamed El-Kasabgy, as well as original compositions written for the ensemble.
Music from the group encompasses classical Arabic music types such as sama’iat, longat, muwashahat from the musical repertoire of Palestinian and Arab composers, in addition to some works which have never been performed before.
The Ensemble counts among his members a number of acclaimed musicians, including Dr. Khaled Saddouk on oud and oriental violin who also composes some of the group’s works, Alfred Hajjar on nay, Mahran Mor’eb on qanun, and Bashir el-Assadi on violin.
Its talented singers include Oday Khatib, Amir Jabbarine, Monther Rai, Jamil Salah-el-Dine, Maan Aamacha, Dalal Abou Amneh, and Wala’a Dweikat. Organized by the Ministry of Culture, the 22nd Bahrain International Music Festival lineup features award-winning artists from Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Cuba, Germany, Azerbaijan, and the Czech Republic from a wide range of genres such as opera, Latin, Western classical, Arabic, and Azerbaijani music.
The fourth show will be held on Wednesday (Oct 23), and features the Alim Qasimov Ensemble which will perform the Azerbaijani classical music known as mugham. The show is presented in collaboration with the Aga Khan Music Initiative, a program of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
Festival shows will be held at the Cultural Hall and are open to the public.
