“My name is Abu Hassan Ali bin Nafaa, and they call me Ziryab.” Ziryab was a Kurdish slave, and he was the pupil of the brilliant musician, Isaac of Mousoul, the most famous singer of the court of Caliph Harun Al-Rashid in Baghdad. Ziryab was a singer, oud player, and had been emancipated for his talents and genius everyone knew about.
From Baghdad to Cordoba through Kairouan, he was able to express his artistic genius in the music schools and transfer his knowledge to his students and to musicians of different origins, Basque, Catalans, Moroccans … Ziryab’s stories are narrated by a mysterious disciple who accompanied him on his journey and loved his artistry. This narrator will tell us stories about this exceptional genius between reality and fiction … About the history of Eastern music that Ziryab enriched with his career and long journey. This narrator will describe us the one and only love of Ziryab: his oud.
He will tell us about the famous fifth string that Ziryab added and called “the soul of the instrument” which is a synthesis of the elements of nature and life. He will also tell us stories that have had a profound impact on Ziryab, such as “The Enchanted Oud Player” from Kairouan, and ” the Oud Player from Cordoba who wants to master his instrument” and other tales …
Between historical reality and legend, we will follow the stories of this traveler until the last story.
Show: Audience 10 to 17 years old
Duration: 45 minutes