Événement

Voices of Afghanistan

VOICES OF AFGHANISTAN
featuring
Ustad Farida Mahwash, vocals
Homayoun Sakhi, rubâb, vocals

and the Sakhi Ensemble
Khalil Ragheb harmonium, vocals
Pervez Sakhi, tula (flute)
Abbos Kosimov (from Uzbekistan), doyra (frame drum)
Ezmarai Aref, tabla (drums)

Concert length: Approx. 90 minutes
Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door, one hour before showtime.

Voices of Afghanistan bridges three generations of the finest traditional musicians from Afghanistan and Central Asia. Legendary Afghan songstress Ustad Farida Mahwash represents the country's "golden age" of music--the 1970s. She is accompanied by Composer, rubâb master and vocalist Homayoun Sakhi and The Sakhi Ensemble, which specializes both in the rich folkloric and classical traditions of Afghanistan, and in bold contemporary works. Sakhi, the group's musical director, has devoted his life to studying the rich music of his region, and has emerged as one of its greatest living composers. A performance by Voices of Afghanistan is a journey through time and space, reprising the glories of the Afghan past, and reaching all the way to its increasingly global contemporary life and expression. The Sakhi Ensemble includes: Abbos Kosimov of Uzbekistan, considered one the most entertaining and explosive players of the Central Asian frame drum called doyra; Khalil Ragheb, harmonium and vocals; Ezmarrai on Tabla; and Pervez Sakhi on Tula.

Sawol-jawabthe, interplay of questions and answers, is the foundation upon which much of Afghan music rests. With implications beyond the stage, it posits that only the most thoughtfully constructed questions can elicit meaningful answers. Mahwash and the musicians from The Sakhi Ensemble test this belief at every performance. For this tour, artistic director Homayoun Sakhi has created an acoustically rich crossroad in which the musicians explore the interconnectedness of the seeker and sought, sacred and secular, traditional and contemporary. Afghanistan is a regional hub of cultural and social activity and is home to a vast array of musical genres. The ghazals, folk songs and traditional melodies spotlighted on tour, speak to the human need for love, grace and transcendence.