The Fifth Melhoun music festival of Fez

Last night The View from Fez was invited to the opening concert of the 5th Melhoun Festival of Fez. It was a beautifully presented concert in the Prefecture Office auditorium attended by the Wali (Governor) of Fez and other dignitaries.

Sadly there was only a small audience as there had been little advertising until the very last minute and not one word about it in any of the English language media. This has been a constant problem in Fes, where targeted marketing is particularly slack. This was a pity as the program was varied and interesting, with exceptionally good performances from all the musicians and soloists.

In its poetic or musical form, Melhoun is a typically Moroccan genre where many elements of literature and the Moroccan arts converge and are underpinned by the rhythms of Andalous music (the zajal) and popular melodies. A true poetic art, Melhoun is the most elaborate form of poetry that exists in Moroccan Arabic.

The festival continues until the 15th with several more concerts, sadly there is no way of knowing when and where!

For those of you who are also unable to discover the venues, we suggest you come along to the concert on Saturday 21st when Morocco's top Melhoun singer will be joined by musicians from other traditions for the very first time. This is a world premiere!

Details:

An exceptional concert given by the Fes Tourat Ensemble at Riad Zany. Meaning 'the heritage of Fez', Fes Tourat presents a meeting of the grand masters of the popular and sacred music of the city. These traditional musicians are among the best in Morocco, and to the sounds of the derbouqa and the guenbri lute you will discover the Melhoun songs of the city's artisans and the captivating rhythms of the Aïssawa , Hamadcha and Ahl Touat Sufi brotherhoods.

The master Melhoun singer who will perform at Riad Zany

The concert starts at 21h00 (doors open at 20h30). Entry by donation of a minimum of Dh50 (all proceeds will be given to the musicians).

Please note - Limited seats - so please book!
For further information and booking, please contact purplecircle.fez@gmail.com

Photo credit: Sandy McCutcheon.