ABU DHABI -- Syrian artist Ibrahim Kifu and Iraqi Oud player Omar Bashir held two musical concerts on Friday and Saturday evening in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. The event was organized by the Al Ain Centre for Music in the World of Islam, an initiative of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH).

The concert opened with musical pieces conducted by the artist Ibrahim Kifu. These were accompanied by performances of various Syrian songs that reflected different dialects, languages and backgrounds, including Syriac, Assyrian, Kurdish, and Armenian.

The concert highlighted the musical heritage of the buzuq instrument. It is an instrument which has never attracted the same amount of attention and interest as the Oud, despite its significance and its roots which reach back to the Sumerians. However, it has always been cherished by the peoples of the Arab Middle East, Greece and Turkey.

Following the success of this concert, Kifu called for greater attention be paid to this underappreciated instrument and urged that the teaching of the buzuq be granted more importance.

During the second part of the concert, Bashir performed a number of Oriental and Iraqi heritage melodies. These were inspired by the music school of his father, the great musician Munir Bashir, but were performed with his own signature interpretation.

He began with a piece entitled "Love and Peace", originally composed by his late father. This was then followed by a second piece entitled "Improvisations", which reflected the Iraqi maqam and the musical styles of awej, hijaz, sika, saba, nahawand and ajam, amongst others.

Bashir's music took the audience on a journey of the musical heritage of Iraq - from north to south - a type of music which is also considered to be an extension of that of the whole Arabian Gulf.

It was noted by Bashir that the Oud first appeared in 2300 BC. He added that the renowned Arabic music composer, Zeryab, was the first person to be credited with reintroducing the instrument to the people when he opened a music institute in Andalusia.

Bashir said that his father, Munir, is considered to be one of the first people to introduce the Oud in Europe. It was hailed as an instrument that could be played on its own for nearly three hours continuously. It was welcomed, despite its initial unfamiliarity, and it was embraced as part of the spirit and heritage of the Orient.

Arabic music

Meanwhile, Sharif Khaznadar, founder and director of the House of World Cultures in Paris, said that the participation of these artists serves to assist the work of ADACH, and the Al Ain Centre for Music in the World of Islam. ADACH established the Centre to preserve the heritage of various musical genres.

"Amongst these genres is the significant, yet unrecognised, musical heritage of the buzuq," added Khaznadar.

The House of World Cultures was established in Paris thirty-five years ago in order to introduce those living in France and Europe to various types of Arabic, Asian, and African music.

Khaznadar launched a Festival of Traditional Arts in 1974 which reflected the diversity of these musical cultures.

He also championed the cause of the buzuq, which he said did not receive the attention it deserved either internationally or in the Arab World. He made a point of promoting the newly released CD album of Kifu, produced in Paris, which was received with wide-spread enthusiasm. He demonstrated that the new album could be used to help reintroduce the instrument to a wider audience.

Bashir himself has also recently released a new CD album in the UAE. It is entitled "Oud Madness", and presents eight genres of music which reflect his obsession with the instrument.

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