#5158, Four Weddings and A Funeral

Hear wedding music from Syria, Seattle, Brooklyn; and a piece by Franco-Lebanese trumpeter’ Ibrahim Maalouf. That, and music for a Pharoah’s funeral by Philip Glass from his opera, Akhnaten.

Listen to infectious music from prolific Syrian wedding singer Omar Souleyman, whose party music is a nod to the celebratory dabke, a combination Middle Eastern folk-circle and line dance. Then, there’s music from Brooklyn-based Syrian-born clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and CityBand, with his best-known piece, “Wedding”.  There’s new music from Franco-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, who plays an instrument that has been modified to be able to play Arab classical music as well as the usual Western styles. Hear an ensemble of musicians also trained to play the microtonal quarter-tone trumpet, on a tune called “Layla’s Wedding” from his most recent album, Trumpets of Michel-Ange, Vol. 2.

Then, hear an eight part electroacoustic suite from a dance score by Seattle-based composer Samuel Adams, Lyra. The music is for guitars, metallic percussion, deconstructed drum kit, iPhone voice memos, atmospheric field recordings, resonating snare drums, contrabass, and piano. The recording features The Living Earth Show, the duo comprising guitarist Travis Andrews and percussionist Andy Meyerson, and Adams playing bass, keyboards, and handling electronics. Plus, music for a funeral from the opera Akhnaten by Philip Glass. - Caryn Havlik

Program #5158, Four Weddings and A Funeral

ARTIST: Omar Souleyman  (produced by Four Tet)
WORK: Wenu Wenu [2:20]
RECORDING: Wenu Wenu
SOURCE: Ribbon Music RBN 029
INFO: ribbonmusic.com

ARTIST: Ibrahim Maalouf
WORK: Layla's Wedding [4:34]
RECORDING: Trumpets of Michel-Ange, Vol. 2
SOURCE: Mister Ibe
INFO: Available at Spotify, AppleMusic, Amazon.com

ARTIST: Omar Souleyman  (produced by Four Tet)
WORK: Wenu Wenu [7:01]
RECORDING: Wenu Wenu
SOURCE: Ribbon Music RBN 029
INFO: ribbonmusic.com

ARTIST: Kinan Azmeh & CityBand
WORK: Wedding [10:52]
RECORDING: Live in Berlin
SOURCE: Dreyer Gaido
INFO: https://kinanazmeh.com

ARTIST: The Living Earth Show and Samuel Adams
WORK: Wedding, I-VIII [14:24]
RECORDING: Lyra
SOURCE: Earthy Records
INFO: https://samuelcarladams.bandcamp.com/album/lyra

ARTIST: Stuttgart Opera Chorus, Stuttgart Opera Orchestra; Dennis Russell Davies, Conductor
WORK: Akhnaten- Act 1, Funeral Dance [9:02] 
RECORDING: Philip Glass: Akhnaten
SOURCE: Sony Masterworks
INFO: https://philipglass.com/recordings/akhnaten