Simon Broughton on some of the world music highlights at the Edinburgh Festival
The black pen marks the curve which ends with a sweeping upward movement giving the letter an elegant tail. And then it writes again and again in an ever-growing circle. The writing is four words in Arabic: Hope, Justice, Kindness and Peace, which are prompted by the theme of this year’s Edinburgh International Festival, ‘The Truth We Seek’.
The pen is held by calligrapher Tazeen Qayyum and she’s accompanied by two Syrian musicians, Basel Rajoub on saxophone and Feras Charestan on qanun zither. The filigree textures of the plucking mirror the intricate lines of the calligraphy which looks sometimes like a wreath, sometimes like a flower, sometimes an impenetrable labyrinth depending on whether you choose to look positively or pessimistically. The calligraphy is being drawn on paper on the floor, but projected onto a screen behind the stage. It’s mesmeric to watch, although it gets spoilt by the projection of other calligraphic images which disrupts the focus.
It’s one of three music performances put on in Edinburgh by the Aga Khan Music Programme featuring their master
musicians, coming mainly from what they call ‘the greater East’. The AKMP believes culture is just as important as healthcare, education and infrastructure, the other areas in which they work. The concerts take place in a wonderful building close to Edinburgh Castle called The Hub. It looks ecclesiastical, but is actually furnished like a cosy living room with beanbags, armchairs and sofas. It’s a super comfortable environment for listening to intimate acoustic performances.
All the concerts involve collaborations of one sort or another. Another features the singing of Yahya Hussein Abdallah from Tanzania, a winner in the last Aga Khan Music Awards. He’s singing Sufi poetry in Arabic, although his native language is Swahili. His warm, rich voice is appropriately supported by the dark tones of a viola d’amore played by Tunisian musician Jasser Haj Youssef. Each of the poems - by 13th century writers Al Busiri and Al Badawi - is preceded by a lengthy introduction from the dark-toned viola d’amore setting a mood of introspection and reverence. The viola keeps the music earthbound, while Abdallah’s voice rises up in arcs of ecstasy. Whether you believe or not, it’s very powerful to witness someone moved to great emotion
by their faith.
Another facet of AKMP’s work is the creation of new music and a selection was performed by a group of six master musicians. Basel Rajoub on soprano sax and Feras Charestan on qanun were joined by Turkish oud player Yurdal Tokcan, Chinese / American pipa player Wu Man and cellist Vincent Segal and button accordionist Vincent Peirani, both from France. Each musician contributed at least one piece, beginning with the fast ‘Jul Dance’ by Charestan. Wu Man performed a duo arrangement with accordionist Peirani of a popular pipa piece called ‘Dance of the Yi’, composed by Wang Hurian. This allowed the pipa, a lute played upright on the lap, to be clearly audible as it tended to get drowned in the full ensemble. The standout piece was surely Tokcan’s ‘Mutluluk’ (Happiness). There are cascades of swirling melodies interrupted by emphatic chords with a wonderful forward drive. Several of the pieces are on an album called Nowruz which the Aga Khan Master Musicians released a couple of years ago. The whole concert featured a great variety of textures and of course the musicianship was superb. There was a richly deserved standing ovation and the ensemble performs in London November 21st.
The Hub was also the
venue for another duo of harpist Catrin Finch and violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain. This is also an international collaboration as Finch is from Wales and Ní Bhriain from Ireland. Catrin Finch played In a very successful duo with kora player Seckou Keita for many years and this new project (the album Double You released in 2023), benefiting from the contrasting textures of the plucked harp and (mostly) bowed violin. Ní Bhriain plays both regular violin and Norwegian Hardanger fiddle with its resonant sympathetic strings and Finch has some bass boost she can add too get an almost orchestral sound. Both classically trained, but with much experience in folk and other styles, the pay homage to Bach and bees, who Saint Modomnoc is said to have taken to nIreland from Wales in the 6th century. Alongside powerful dramatic episodes, there are moments when the music is soft and suspended in the air with spectral harmonics on the violin and flowing arpeggios on harp.
Alongside the International Festival, there are over 3000 shows (mostly comedy and theatre) on the Edinburgh Fringe. A music show I particularly enjoyed was by singer Agadez and guitarist Antonio Forcione. Agadez takes her name from the Agadez Cross in Touareg jewellery which is both a cosmic compass, worn by women for guidance in the desert,
and as a protective talisman. Forcione is Italian-born, but has been resident in the UK for many years. The show is called Queendoms Unplugged. There are plenty of gay shows on the Fringe, but although it might sound like it, Queendoms isn’t one of them. It’s a celebration of female goddesses in cultures around Europe and the Mediterranean (see “Blogfoolk” 29.02.2024). The ‘unplugged’ album in imminent.
From Tanit, Phoenician goddess of fertility, and several Egyptian goddesses to Aphrodite, goddess of love, and Irish and Scottish goddesses Dana and Beira, 10 goddesses are invoked. It’s a six-piece band with Agadez (Giada Colagrande) on vocals and various frame drums, two other women on frame drums and (electric) cello and Forcione on vividly articulated acoustic guitar plus bass guitar and percussion. It’s a lively ensemble, partly choreographed too with Agadez holding her drum above her head for the Isis song echoing images from ancient Egypt. There was a lovely introduction with raindrop-like harmonics on guitar for Tefnut, the Mother of Nut, the Egyptian goddess of water in all its forms. What I felt was missing was something darker and more destructive - a figure like Durga in India who might bring some more scary drama. The final goddess, Ecate, is a shaman, with a shamanic drum. Agadez describes her as a “receiver and a transmuter”. The show is a powerful representation of women’s ability to fulfil these many roles in communicating between different realms. Another way of accessing The Truth We Seek.
Simon Broughton
Picture's by Jess Shurte (1) and Ryan Buchanan (2, 3)
