An impressive lineup of five trios, performing in a wide range of styles and featuring diverse combinations of instruments, is at the center of the Pierre Boulez Saal’s Arabic Music Days. Extended this season from three to five days, the program has once again been curated by Iraqi oud virtuoso Naseer Shamma. Art can lend a deeper meaning to all our lives, but is also an essential means of communication and international exchange—this is the basic idea of the Arabic Music Days, which present music, poetry, visual arts, and film in an interplay of analog and digital offerings.
This festival is an expression of my belief that art cannot be divided. Naseer Shamma, Curator of the Arabic Music Days 2022
At the center of the program is an impressive lineup of five trios, each of which invite audiences to enter their very own sound world—live or via stream. Taken together, the Trio Abozekrys, the Maqamat Trio, Teryola, the Naseer Shamma Trio, and the Gharbi Twins Trio give an impression of the vivid and colorful riches of contemporary music throughout Arabic-speaking countries.
An online exhibition of works by painter and sculptor Jaber Alwan and a pre-recorded poetry reading by Omani poet Saif al-Rahbi complement the musical program—you may also get to know both artists in specially produced video presentations. Last but not least, Tunisian director Sarra Abidi’s film Benzine is available for streaming.
We visited Iraqi-born artist Jaber Alwan in his studio in Rome. He told us about his selection of works, topics he currently explores, the importance of the ruins of Babylon for his work, and how music influences his art.
The Arabic Music Days present a focus on contemporary cultural movements in Arabic-speaking areas—which includes the world of film, represented this season by Tunisian director Sarra Abidi’s 2017 debut feature, Benzine.
During a visit, Omani poet Saif al-Rahbi showed us around Oman’s capital Muscat, sharing his thoughts on the country’s cultural life, the meaning of Omani nature for his reflections on life and its existential questions.
Music is poetry and poetry is music, painting consists of colors and shapes, just as music does. Film represents life itself, as does music. Naseer Shamma, Curator of the Arabic Music Days 2022
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Principal Partner: Abu Dhabi Festival 2022
