Monnot Theatre hosted an evening of traditional Arabic song bringing together Shadi Al Asil, Omran Roby and Shadi Al Sagheer, in a concert dedicated to muwashahat, qudud and classic Arabic heritage songs, before an audience that engaged with the program from start to finish.
The evening opened with muwashahat including “Irja’i Ya Alf Layla” and “Ya Layl Al Sabb Mata Ghadou,” with the performers delivering renditions that preserved the traditional character of the pieces while highlighting the maqams and vocal ornamentation that distinguish this style of singing.
The program moved between muwashahat, ataba, mijana and mawawil, shifting across several Arabic maqams including Bayati, Saba and Rast, accompanied by a musical ensemble featuring Eastern instruments, most notably the oud and qanun.
Shadi Al Sagheer performed the song “Ismek Ya Shahbaa Inkatab Majd Wa Hadara, Hadara Wa Adab” to an engaged crowd, while the concert also featured improvised segments in which the performers took turns singing mawawil, a scene reflecting the nature of tarab singing, built on direct interaction between the singer, the musical ensemble and the audience.
Among the highlights of the program was “Khamrat Al Hob,” a song by the late artist Sabah Fakhri, performed by Shadi Al Asil, which the audience greeted with applause and dancing.
The performers also presented a selection of works drawn from the Syrian and Arab musical heritage, with a clear focus on the tarab school made famous by a number of great singers, foremost among them Sabah Fakhri.
The evening closed with a joint performance of “Ya Mal Al Sham,” featuring Shadi Al Asil, Omran Roby and Shadi Al Sagheer together, amid notable engagement from the audience.
The concert offered an example of evenings that seek to preserve muwashahat, qudud and mawawil and bring them back to the stage, in an effort to keep this musical tradition present in the contemporary artistic scene.
