Syrian composer Faraj Abyad merges Andalusian poetry with modern beats in debut album

Audiences in the UAE can see him in concert during NYUAD’s Ramadaniyyat event

Faraj Abyad will be performing in a concert titled Andalusian Love Story during NYUAD’s Ramadaniyyat event on Wednesday. Photo: Faraj Abyad
Powered by automated translation

Like many great love stories with unhappy endings, the tale of Arab Andalusian poet Ibn Zaydun and the Moorish princess Wallada Bint Al Mustakfi has inspired artists.

Contemporary Syrian composer Faraj Abyad is set to present the world premiere of his latest musical creation Andalusian Love Story, based on the love letters between the two, at the Ramadaniyyat event hosted by NYU Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

“I composed the poetry of the female lover and the poetry of the male lover separately,” Abyad tells The National.

“Then I took these compositions and combined them in a way where it became like a conversation between the two poets.”

Abyad has become well known for reinterpreting the principles of the traditional Arabic musical system, known as Tarab, into contemporary format.

His newly released first album, Kisses of Poetry, co-produced by Abu Dhabi Festival, is an exploration of Andalusian classics and contemporary music featuring the words of poets such as Egypt's Ahmed Shawqi, Palestine's Mahmoud Darwish and Syria's Nizar Qabbani.

Al Andalus in the Iberian Peninsula covered modern-day Spain, Portugal and parts of France and was Muslim-ruled between 711 to 1492. It was a significant time in history where a prominent Islamic presence in Europe influenced architecture, philosophy, the sciences and the arts.

“It is a period of Arabic history, where artistic freedom was emerging,” Abyad says.

“Liberalism and progressivism were also evident during that time. This gave poets the freedom to speak and write about love and romance. It allowed artists, whether they were musicians or visual artists, to expand and explore so much more than any other time period in the Arab world.”

Abyad’s album takes influences from modern Khaleeji, Latin and classical music along with classical Egyptian and Syrian Muwashshah styles.

Andalusian Love Story is one of four compositions that Abyad wrote for Kisses of Poetry.

The affair between Ibn Zaydun and Wallada caused controversy in Andalusian society and, for unknown reasons, ended with a bitter feud between them filled with accusations, jealousy and sorrow, all expressed through their poetry.

Abyad arranged the composition of the piece starting off with a poem by Ibn Zaydun: “I started to love my enemies because you are one of them”, which then yields the same response from Wallada.

Influenced by a number of Andalusian philosophers who believed in coexistence between all religions, Abyad was particularly inspired by the Arab Andalusian Muslim scholar, mystic, poet and philosopher Ibn Arabi, who said: “Love is my religion and my faith.”

In an Andalusian Love Story, Abyad explores this idea through the love letters of Ibn Zaydun and Wallada’s doomed love story. They were seen as belonging to different worlds — she as exemplifying the heritage and glory of the past, while he was the way forward into the future.

“It goes back to the idea by Ibn Arabi that when love is involved, you begin to see the human side of everyone, including your enemies,” Abyad adds.

As an artist, Abyad says that he has always been “very intrigued” by the Andalusian period for its focus on the arts which were often associated with romance and mysticism.

“I believe the fact that there was a certain intellectual philosophical revolution tied into the arts,” he says.

“When a spiritual revolution is tied to music in a refined way that respects tradition and also incorporates a full understanding of the music or poetic system, the result is remarkable.”

He also sees a connection to his own work of attempting to revive tarab in a modern way.

“Poetry is also a big component of that time period, and in my project, I respect this discipline of poetic metres, the renaissance of philosophy, and intellectualism of the Arab world,” he says.

“It is a beautiful combination of skill and knowledge of the system.”

The concert will also have a strong visual aspect: Abyad has chosen to have visuals of art projected behind him and the musicians, including work by the renowned Iraqi artist, by Jewad Saleem.

Abyad says he is thrilled to be having his concert in NYUAD as part of the Ramadaniyyat eventt.

“Ramadan is a time of reflection and spirituality, and Al Andalus was a period where music and love for the arts was associated with spirituality and religion,” he says.

Featuring a series of public events including talks, film screenings, poetry and musical performances, the second edition of Ramadaniyyat runs until April 6 under the theme of Al-Andalus.

More information is available at www.nyuad.nyu.edu

Updated: April 04, 2023, 3:03 AM