Oud and Australian Chamber concert in Perth.
I would like to share on this forum, the experience of attending a very enjoyable concert last Tuesday in Perth, Western Australia. The Australian
chamber orchestra included Mr Joseph Tawadros, a Young Egyptian Composer and Oud player from Sydney, as their soloist.
I went to the concert, not knowing how the Oud will play with a Western Classical Orchestra, and was wondering whether it would just do few interludes
between Western musical pieces, just for the contrast effect. Previously I had attended a concert where the roles were reversed, ie. there was a group
of Arabic musicians playing Arabic music, and they had a Western musician playing the Oud. I was disappointed then that I was not able to hear the Oud
which was drowned by the other instruments. The only other experiences of Arabic music in remote Perth is the "Belly dancing" music that always
presented as representing all Arabic musical experience.
But this concert was a real treat. The oud playing was of virtuosic high standard, and as far as I could tell was of original pieces. I was even more
impressed by the ACOs playing of Arabic music. The playing was really interactive and exciting, where the violins and the Oud
alternated with Arabic sounding musical phrases, and supported each other, and the sound of the Oud was not drowned, and I could feel that the
audience really loved it. This were not familiar Arabic pieces, but they definitely had an Arabic feel to them, and they were played with great
feeling by musicians who are not Arabs, but great musicians with good feel from many different styles of music. So this was not the Oud playing solo
at all, however the opposite combination of the Oud playing Western pieces did not occur. i.e it was the orchestra that joined the oud in performing
some Arabic music. The ACO always played other music of great variety, and I really loved their playing.
The audience by the way, looked to me to mainly multicultural, and did not have much Arabic audience. I had a feeling that it was mainly classical
music audience, but with a love to try something new, and an appreciation of all music. I was also told that the Oud has been played quite often on
the radio during the week before the concert. The concert hall was almost full.
As far as the Oud is concerned, this showed me that fusion of the Oud with Western Orchestras is really possible, and that there is a great role for
the Oud beyond the solo instrument role in traditional playing. I think this role of the Oud as a chamber music instrument is something that can be
developed, and enjoyed in the future. I heard that the Lebanese players Marcel Khalife and Charbel Rohana advocate such new roles for the instrument
but unfortunately I never had a chance to hear their playing yet. It would be interesting to hear on this forum how many Oud players play outside the
solo instrument traditional role. If any play with Western bands or orchestras even in an amateur capacities, it would be interesting to hear of their
experiences.
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