A Short Biography of a Snake | 12:00 |
Musicians
Composition: Raed Yassin
Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart
Johanna Vargas: High Soprano
Susanne Leitz-Lorey: Soprano
Truike van der Poel: Mezzo Soprano
Martin Nagy: Tenor
Guillermo Anzorena: Bariton
Andreas Fischer: Bass
Raed Yassin: Electronics
The recital of Koranic verses often projects a mesmerizing but also haunting sound. The preacher uses the entire breadth of his/her intonation and articulation in order to display their ability and reach new heights of devotion and sublimity in voice.
Many years ago at a flea market in Aleppo, Syria, I discovered a very rare 1970s vinyl recording of a female preacher reciting the Koran in an idiosyncratic way. Listening to it repeatedly over the years, I was so inspired by the emotion and agility in her voice that I decided to compose a piece of music based on this particular recital. In this piece, it is transformed into a vocal ensemble for six non-Arabic speaking singers.
The work is dedicated to Sheikha Fatima Mhanna (the reciter) and imagines her angelic presence floating over the ruins of a once great city - Aleppo - one that is now filled with ghosts and shadows.
Photo By Tony Elieh
As a musician, Raed Yassin has been a key member in the Lebanese underground music scene for many years. One of the organisers of the Irtijal Festival of Experimental Music from its early beginnings, he founded his concept music label Annihaya in 2009. He is a member of several bands and groups, including “A” Trio, PRAED among others. As a double bassist, he developed a personal and independent extended technique, by employing different preparations and objects on his instrument. His interest here relies heavily on textures, energies and vibrations, the density of volume and sound, rather than conventional melodic structures.
Also an electronic musician and experimental turntablist, his approach to vinyl ranges from deconstructing Arab pop music, to reexamining the traditional music archives of countries from the global south.
With his duo band PRAED (along with Paed Conca), he acts as the lead singer and synth player, merging free jazz with psychedelic rock and Egyptian Shaabi music.
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