While Fes was buzzing about the concert by the great Youssou Ndour, there were other wonderful performances today - especially the concert by Homayoun Sakhi from Afghanistan.
Review
Homayoun Sakhi - The art of rubab
Almost on time the concert got off to a start, with the two artists humbly entering the stage and beginning to tune their instruments. Both dressed in traditional Afghan clothes, they sat cross legged and started to play with their eyes closed.
Immediately entrancing the audience, both the sound and the vibrational energy of his instrument, Homayoun opened with a piece so effective that he even froze the photographers, who seemed to forget about their jobs and instead sat open mouthed.
Homayoun Sakhi is considered a master of the iconic lute of Afghanistan, the rubab. Born in Kabul in 1976, he later moved to the United States to Fremont in California, which is known fondly as ‘Little Kabul’. He once famously told NPR that he practices the instrument for up to eight hours a day, and his dedication has paid off well.
He was joined on stage by Siar Hashimi a talented tabla player, also from his native Afghanistan, and the chemistry between them was magnetic. Smiling, as if sharing in-jokes lost on the audience, playing their instruments to each other akin to a conversation, not a touch of nervousness was evident on stage.
Siar used both the heel of his hand and his fingers to create very complex rhythms that perfectly underscored the melody of the rubab. His eyes dashed from side to side and his eyebrows danced as he played, deep in concentration, yet fluid and loose. Eventually his hands were moving so fast I could feel empathetic pangs of carpel-tunnel syndrome emerging.
Learning the rubab from his father, Homayoun understands the importance of passing on this musical heritage, traditionally handed down through generations. In lieu of this he has set up a school in his area, populated largely by the US Afghan diaspora, where he teaches traditional music.
Not leaving the audience one minute to applaud, each piece was strung together without a beginning or an end. As the audience slowly forgot such trivialities as time and place, they were transported to a foreign land. A land where music from Afghanistan, Persia and India mounded into one, infused by centuries of trade across the infamous Silk Road.
The designs and fabrics of this route were also on stage tonight, as the performers sat atop a carpet surrounded by blankets and trinkets from these regions. Homayoun strummed, plucked and plucked his rubab, a multifaceted object known as “the lion of instruments” that was first mentioned in Persian scripts of the 7th century.
When it reached South Asia, the rubab went on to be the first instrument central to Sikhism, a personal favourite of Guru Nanak. With its eleven sympathetic strings, it has an unrivalled acoustic depth that allows the evocation of various moods and feelings.
The audience were dumbfounded at the end of the performance - had an hour and a half really passed by so quickly? A unique favourite of the festival, the audience cheered for more until the duo left the stage to take a very well deserved rest.
Review and photographs: Venetia Menzies
Tomorrow at the Festival
LE BALLAKE ORKESTRA - 16:30
Venue: Jardin Jnan Sbil
OPERA SLAM BAROQUE - 18:00
Venue: Dar Batha
HOW FAR IS IT FROM THE SUN TO THE EARTH? - 19:00
Venue: Palais Glaoui
L’ART DU MUWASHAH D’ALEP A FEZ - 21:00
Venue: Bab Al Makina
ORCHESTRE ASRI – NASS LGHIWAN - 22.00
Venue: Place Boujloud
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