{"id":10345,"date":"2022-09-26T08:36:03","date_gmt":"2022-09-26T06:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/?p=10345"},"modified":"2022-12-25T11:22:11","modified_gmt":"2022-12-25T09:22:11","slug":"from-anahita-to-yuma-festival-arabesques-dazzles-thousands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themarkaz.org\/oldmarkaz\/from-anahita-to-yuma-festival-arabesques-dazzles-thousands\/","title":{"rendered":"From \u201cAnahita\u201d to \u0178uma, Festival Arabesques Dazzles Thousands"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“Mahmoud, Marcel & Me” was a striking homage to the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, performed for the last time on 09\/10\/2022 by Marcel Khalife (center) with Bachar Mar-Khalife (center-left on piano) and Ensemble \u2014 a highlight of the Festival Arabesques that took place at the Domaine d’O, Montpellier (photo Jordan Elgrably).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Often western media, when portraying the Arab world and the diversity of southwestern Asia, Iranian, Kurdish and Afghan cultures among them, fairs poorly at presenting the broadest imaginable picture of this vast and beautiful region. That is where the Festival Arabesques<\/a>, now in its 17th edition, intervenes. From September 6-18, 2022, Arabesques \u2014 now the largest such performing arts festival in Europe \u2014 presented some two dozen concerts, film screenings, workshops and other cultural encounters to more than 20,000 spectators of all ages and backgrounds. [Ed.]<\/em><\/p>\n

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Ang\u00e9lique Crux<\/h4>\n

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When the Festival Arabesques presents a performance at the Op\u00e9ra Com\u00e9die, Montpellier\u2019s 18th<\/sup> century landmark, one must expect to leave conventional clich\u00e9s behind. In e\ufb00ect, with \u201cAnahita,\u201d the performers\u2019 blend of traditional oriental music intermingled with jazz and western classical music stands out and gives a bewitching flavor through sounds, voice and dance.<\/p>\n

The performer, Franco-Iranian mezzo Ariana Vafadari<\/a>, composed the music for “Anahita,” a co-creation with Leili Anvar, also Franco-Iranian, who wrote the story, in which the two women go in search of their ancestors and the ancient legend of Anahita.<\/p>\n

We might have been largely satisfied with the operatic, elegiac voice of Vafadari, accompanied by a pianist, a double bass player and Driss El Maloumi, majestically playing the oud.<\/p>\n