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THE organisers of this year's annual Bahrain International Music Festival (BIMF) have secured an impressive line-up of entertainment.
The week-long cultural extravaganza will celebrate a range of diverse music from around the world from October 2-7.
The 19th edition of the event will be sponsored by telecom provider Viva and national carrier Gulf Air with the ultimate aim of exposing the talents of new and exciting musicians to the island's residents.
"Each day will showcase a musical performance, taking the audience to a different country and culture for a whole week," said a spokesman for the kingdom's Ministry of Culture which holds this annual event as a means of also exposing the local population to a variety of global cultures and traditions through a musical angle.
"Music breaks the language barrier between all races, cultures, ages and nationalities, where everyone can express one another through the form of a simple yet diverse art," she added.
"Music has been a part of the kingdom's culture dating back to 4,000 years to the Dilmun civilization. It's believed that music was used in ceremonies and religious celebrations and continues to be used to this very day."
The event will start off with three brothers called 'Trio Khoury' offering a fusion of classical, oriental and contemporary Middle Eastern music.
They will be followed by inspirational Dutch pianist Hannes Minnaar. Continuing to diversify the week, Sudanese oud folklorist Abdel Karim AlKabli and pioneering Syrian qanun player Abdullah Chhadeh will carry the audience to different parts of the Arab world on the following two nights.
The festival will then finish off with a journey of classical pieces by Salar Nader and his group of internationally-recognised musicians from Central Asia, and a treat of evoking voices from A Filetta, a Corsican group truly ingrained in its origin and passion of folklore songs on the final two nights.
The Ministry of Culture believes it has successfully been able to raise the kingdom's cultural profile over the past 19 years by organising a series of events to educate, entertain and expose residents to various cultures and traditions.
Bahrain International Music Festival 2010 will start at 8pm at the Cultural Hall adjacent to Bahrain National Museum.
Entry to all the shows is free and there is no advanced booking necessary. Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
For more information, visit www.moci.gov.bh
Schedule:
Saturday, October 2
Trio Khoury
Grounded in the grand tradition and heritage of Arab Oriental music, the three virtuosos brothers Elia, Basil and Osama Khoury, have sought to bring classical Oriental music into the contemporary music scene. These three have pushed the technical limits and capabilities of their traditional instruments and have rejuvenated old forms of performance and reinvented new ones, attesting to the timelessness of the Arab Oriental musical instrument.
Genre: Oriental Music
Website: www.triokhoury.com
Sunday, October 3
Hannes Minnaar
The pianist Hannes Minnaar has performed recitals and worked with orchestras and ensembles globally and has recently won third place in the Queen Elizabeth competition in addition to winning a number of prizes in Holland and the Geneva International Music Competition in 2008.
Minnaar has given recitals in his own country, in Ireland, in Japan, in the Middle East, and in New York and has worked with a number of orchestras (under Frans BrŸggen, among others) and ensembles, including the P‡rk‡nyi Quartet.
Genre: Piano Concerto
Website: www.hannesminnaar.com
Monday, October 4
Abdulkarim Al Kabli
Abdulkarim Al Kabli is a renowned poet and a composer known for his profound knowledge of the musical heritage of north, east, and central Sudan, and embraces both colloquial and classical style.
Genre: Oud/poetry
Website: www.alkabli.net
Tuesday, October 5
Abdullah Chhadeh
Abdullah Chhadeh is a profound qanun player who studied both Classical Arabic and Western music at the Conservatoire of Damascus. Chhadeh is a composer who creatively mixes new settings to the qanun's distinctive sounds.
Genre: Qanun
Website: www.abdullahchhadeh.com
Wednesday, October 6
Sounds & Rhythms of Afghanistan - Salar Nader
S.A.R.A 'Sounds & Rhythms of Afghanistan' (featuring founder Salar Nader, composer-virtuoso tabla, Homayoun Sahki, rubab, Abbos Kosimov, doyra, and vocals and harmonium - Humayun Khan) is a group of extraordinary musicians that evokes the wonders of their beautiful and complex region. Enjoy this musical caravan through the depths of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and north India.
Genre: Classical/Folk
Website: www.salarnader.com
Thursday, October 7
A Filetta
Finding the right balance and multiplying in intensity, their voices resonate, becoming one instrument. Centuries of polyphonic echoes across the Corsican landscape...becoming 'A Filetta'.
Genre: Corsican polyphonies
Website: www.afiletta.com
