Jerusalem Post
Oct 27 2006
A lute for all seasons
By GAVRIEL FISKE
The Jerusalem International Oud Festival kicks off this week with an
ambitious lineup of local and international musicians. Organized by
Confederation House, the festival has expanded considerably since its
inception seven years ago, and is now one of Israel’s major musical
events. This year the program features two full weeks of concerts in
Jerusalem and, for the first time, three days of performances in
Nazareth.
The oud is an 11-stringed lute that occupies a place in
Middle-Eastern music very similar to that of the piano in Western
music: a required introduction for all music students and the
universal instrument for teaching music theory. An essential part of
nearly any middle-eastern ensemble, the oud is also an exceptionally
expressive solo instrument.
Although the festival takes its name from this ancient instrument,
the programming is more focused on singers and ensembles, and
features music from a wide variety of traditions.
"I don’t want to keep the Oud Festival just Jewish and Arabic music,"
explains artistic director Effie Benaya, the driving force behind the
festival. "I always want to feature other cultures. Palestinian,
Iraqi, Turkish, Persian… all the countries that were influenced by
Islam."
This year’s theme is the Golden Age of Spain, which is usually placed
between the 8th and 11th centuries, while Islam ruled most of the
Iberian Peninsula but before the successes of the Christian
Reconquesta. Known romantically as a time of tolerance and
civilization, the golden age was characterized by inter-cultural
interaction in art, politics, science and music.
"For me, the whole festival is a small golden age," says Benaya. "I
wanted to make a journey to Muslim Spain, because Jews and Muslims
lived in harmony and this [culture] was very influential. I want to
bring that here, today."
He continues: "We are doing concerts in Nazareth… I want to reach
out to the Arabic community, and for this to be a festival of the two
peoples. I think this is very important."
The festival opens at the Jerusalem Theater on Thursday, November 2
with a tribute by Taiser Elias and ensemble to Egyptian composer
Sayed Darwish, who passed away in 1923 at the age of 31 and is
regarded as the father of modern Arabic music. Elias is a masterful
oud player and director of the middle-eastern music program at the
Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance at The Hebrew University.
On Sunday November 5 Jerusalem’s own Shaharit Ensemble presents the
poetry of Abraham Ibn Ezra, who lived from 1093-1167. Born in Tuleda
in southern Spain, due to prosecutions of the Jews he spent the later
part of his life wandering through North Africa, Europe and the
Middle-East. Shaharit is dedicated to composing original music for
piyutim (religious poems), and will present Ibn Ezra’s works with
melodies specially composed for this event.
The following evening, Monday November 6, a special performance will
be presented at Beit Shmuel by Eduardo Paniagua’s Ensemble for
Ancient Music from Spain. An artist with Sony Classical, Paniagua has
dedicated himself to medieval Spanish/Arabic music for decades, and
has released many albums and performed throughout Europe and the
Middle-East. His ensemble performs authentic Arab-Andalusian
classical music with Arabic, Hebrew and Spanish vocals, and features
musicians from both Spain and Morocco.
Another international ensemble performing at the Oud Festival is the
father-and-son team of Armenian-Americans Onnik and Ara Dinkjian, who
will play at the Jerusalem Theater on Saturday, November 11. Ara
Dinkjian, who performed at last year’s festival, is an oudist and
composer whose music is very popular in Turkey and Israel. His father
Onnik is an accomplished singer of traditional Armenian popular and
liturgical music who has been performing for five decades. Their
ensemble consists of Turkish, Greek and Israeli musicians, including
master percussionist Zohar Fresco.
The festival of course features a fantastic array of local artists as
well. Among the performances scheduled are: a tribute by Yair Dalal
to the Iraqi Jewish musicians who immigrated to Israel in the 1950s,
a selection of Palestinian folk songs by exquisite singer Amal Murkus
and ensemble, a concert of piyutim and rock with the Yona Ensemble,
Barry Sacharoff and Meir Banai, an appearance by Israeli rock/ethnic
experimenters Orphaned Land, a performance directed by Elad Gabbai of
the Arabic and Ladino songs of 20th century Jerusalemite composer
Asher Mizrahi, and many more.
The final concert in Jerusalem on Thursday, November 16 at the
Jerusalem Theater features the virtuoso Persian melodies of the Lian
Ensemble from Los Angeles, home to a huge community of Iranian
expatriates and often called "Irangeles." The Lian Ensemble features
the best Iranian musicians in the West, including acclaimed vocalist
Naderi Vaseghi Soleyman and percussionist/vocalist/nai player Houman
Pourmehdi. To their base of classical Persian and sufi music the Lian
Ensemble has added a strong jazz influence, giving their music a
unique East-West feel while retaining their roots in the ancient
music traditions of Persia.
The concerts in Nazareth take place from November 22-24 at the
Nazareth Cinemateque, and are encores of concerts that will be
performed in Jerusalem during the main festival. They include: a
specially commissioned selection of Islamic, Christian and Jewish
religious music performed by singer Inas Masalha and ensemble, a
recital by young oud virtuoso Wisam Gibran based on the controversial
and popular work of early Islamic poet al-Mutanabbi, and a concert by
the Tarshihah Orchestra dedicated to the mighty Egyptian singer Farid
al-Atrash.
A full schedule for the Jerusalem International Oud Festival can be
found at or by calling (02) 624-5206.
Prices range from NIS 75-110 with discounts for those attending
multiple performances or for group purchases. Advance reservations
are strongly recommended, as most of the concerts last year were
sold-out. Tickets can be ordered at the following numbers: (02)
623-7000, (02) 622-2333 and (03) 604-5000.