Nidaa Abou Mrad & The Arabic Classical Music Ensemble
Wiṣāl: An Arab Sufi Concert
Classical Oriental | Lebanon | 2009
This recording assembles - according to the schema of mystical realization, based on the notion of human-divine union or wiṣāl - moments of vocal and instrumental music belonging equally to mysticism and to the Eastern Arab art music tradition. Certain sequences build on compositions from the Nahḍa (Arabic musical Renaissance) or created by Nidaa Abou Mrad in the same style; these are treated according to the improvisatory hermeneutic outlines found in this tradition. For other sequences, the performers adhere to norms of cantillatory improvisation to create entirely spontaneous vocal or instrumental taqsīm-s. The texts are drawn from master mystics of Islam such as the imam Zayn al-‘Ābidīn Alī ibn al-Ḥusayn, Rābia al-Adawiyya, al-Ḥusayn ibn Manṣūr al-Ḥallāj, and Muḥyī a-d-Dīn ibn ‘Arabī.
Tracklisting:
01. Bašraf Qarahbaṭāk Sīkāh 8:47 | 02. Dūlāb “Ekkī bulbul” Sīkāh, “Al-qaṣīdat al-kawṯariyya” 13:36 | 03. Dūlāb Nahāwand, tawšīḥ “Uqtulūnī yā ṯiqātī” 2:41 | 04. Taqsīm Nahāwand, qaṣīdat “Kam bittu” 1:41 | 05. Dūlāb, taqsīm Nahāwand ’Aqsāq (“Bahā’ ”) 1:48 | 06. Dūlāb ‘Uššāq, qaṣīdat “ ‘Araftu l-hawā” 8:12 | 07. Taḥmīlat Ṣabā 3:42 | 08. Dūlāb Ṣabā, qaṣīdat “ ‘An mā’i Maryam” 5:24 | 09. Dūlāb, taqsīm-s Ṣabā Bamb 3:45 | 10. Taḥmīlat Ḥusaynī 1:49 | 11. “Munājāt al-muḥibbīn” 3:25
Credits & Product details:
Featuring: Nidaa Abou Mrad – Concept and violin | Mohamad Ayach – Singing | Mustafa Saïd – Singing and ‘ûd (short-necked lute) | Ghassan Sahhab – qânûn (plucked table zither) | Ali Wehbeh – riq (tambourine)
Booklet: 36 p. informative booklet in 3 languages (English / Arabic / French)
Producer: Tony Sfeir
Calligraphy: Samir Sayegh
Graphic Design: Karma Tohme
Format: Digipack
No. of Discs: 1
Year of Release: 2009
Label: Incognito
Country: Lebanon
