The Astounding Eyes of Rita

There is scarcely an instrument which plays such a fundamental role in Middle Eastern music as the oud, a precursor of the European lute.  This region’s rich cultural history has given rise to many virtuoso players of this instrument.

However, Anouar Brahem combines a knowledge of tradition and an openness towards new forms of expression which is extremely rare in this cultural space.

As a student of oud master Ali Sriti, the composer who was born in 1957 in Halfaouine, Tunisia has delved deep into the mysteries of Arabian classical music.  Equipped with this knowledge, he has been able to find a style where influences from both the Western and the Eastern hemispheres can come together without descending into orientalist kitsch.  Irrespective of whether he is playing together with musicians from India or international jazz stars like Jan Garbarek, the fusion of styles never creates the impression that it is the forced product of good intentions.

The quartet with whom Anouar Brahem played on his album The Astounding Eyes of Rita (produced for the label ECM Records by Manfred Eicher) and with whom he will give one of his rare guest performances as part of the Ruhrtriennale 2010 is a wonderful example of his cosmopolitan attitude. 

While the German-born and classically trained Klaus Gesing (bass clarinet) has concentrated exclusively on jazz and Eastern European music, the Swede Bjorn Meyer (bass) grew up with Cuban music and played flamenco before he immersed himself in Scandanavian folklore and classical Persian music.  The percussionist Khaled Yassine plays in the most varied contexts and represents, according to Anouar Brahem, a new generation of musicians in Lebanon with remarkably wide horizons.  The unusual title of Anouar Brahem’s latest work is a reference to the writer Mahmoud Darwish.  During his lifetime his readings were attended by thousands of spectators.  When Darwish died in 2008, he was honoured in Palestine with three days of state mourning.

The series Century of Song has been produced by the Ruhrtriennale.