MENA Music presents
Orchestra of Tetouan
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Echos of Alhambra: Classical Suites of Muslim Spain for U.S. Audiences
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| Morroco's Orchestra of Tetouan |
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It all began with an Afro-Arab musician and poet Blackbird, who came to
Spain from Baghdad. Or perhaps it was one of the other Moorish
philosophers whose poems sang of wine and whose writings on the stars
later influenced Galileo. Driven from its native home, the music that
emerged in this unique period fled across the Mediterranean, carried by
the Jews and Muslims persecuted as Spain was re-conquered. This
Andalusian music left its traces in the songs and instruments of
France’s troubadours. But the story did not end there.
Now, Andalusian classical music is journeying to the United States this September, thanks to the Orchestra of Tetouan.
Based in the port city of Tetouan just a stone’s throw from the Rock of
Gibraltar, the ensemble reflects the full beauty and diversity of
al-alâ, the Moorish repertoire carefully cultivated over generations
that tells a striking tale of intimate, intertwining connections
between European and Arab music over centuries.
The prosperous
and vibrantly multicultural land of Al-Andalus, the Arab kingdoms that
dominated southern Spain for centuries, attracted talent from across
the Mediterranean and Middle East, and these minds united the many
elements at hand to create a new musical repertoire.
Fast
forward several centuries to the north Moroccan port city of Tetouan,
where Berber, Arabic, and Spanish all ring within the walls of the
medina. Once a base for pirates, the town became a refuge for Sephardic
Jews and Muslims escaping the demise of Al-Andalus and the fall of
Granada at the end of the 15th century. Reshaping Tetouan in the image
of their lost home, they preserved the elegance of Moorish culture,
singing, playing, carving, and painting their heritage in Tetouan’s
houses and streets.
To keep this ancient music living and
breathing, the Orchestra of Tetouan has added new sounds and approaches
to the mix, something Andalusian classical musicians have done for
centuries as they incorporated European instruments like the violin and
the viola into their groups. Women’s voices have joined the chorus.
Western music theories learned by former ensemble leader Larbi Mohammad
Temsamani from Spanish musicians have inspired new approaches.
For
the Orchestra of Tetouan, European and Arab music continues to
cross-pollinate. Much as it did a thousand years ago in Al-Andalus,
this interaction creates new possibilities for an age-old hybrid
resounding with thoughts of divine love and celebratory joy, with
complex beats and fluid melodies.
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DATE & TIME:
Thursday, September 24, 2009
8 pm
PLACE:
Judson Memorial Church
55 Washington Square South
Manhattan
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| Mehdi Chachoua |
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