The Sharjah World Music Festival continued its eclectic program at the Al Qasba Theatre on Wednesday with an Egyptian double bill of flautist Ines Abdel Dayem and Nesma Abdel Aziz on the marimba.
It was a vibrant yet frustrating evening due to a few organisational faux pax, with the most glaring omission being a concert programme that would have allowed the audience to identify the pieces being played.
However there was still a lot to enjoy, with the evening dominated by the young Abdel Aziz who proved a dazzling presence on the instrument.
Joined by a six-piece band, each track had the marimba front and center of the composition, with the aim of Abdel Aziz’s set being to showcase how the instrument can adapt in various genres.
In the jazzy opener, the marimba’s inherent percussiveness was best displayed with Abdel Aziz going toe-to-toe with her drummer as both hammered their instruments.
While in a polka-inspired number, Abdel Aziz unleashed giddy tones which had the crowd clapping along.
It was in the slower pieces where I enjoyed the marimba the most. Whenever Abdel Aziz delicately joins the accordion over a sparse beat, the marimba’s cavernous tones creates a loneliness and melancholy that was genuinely moving.
The performance became problematic with the inclusion of Ines Abdel Dayem. Instead of granting the celebrated flautist her own slot, she chose to appear periodically through Abdel Aziz’s set; understandable too as the youngster was working up quite a sweat, particularly after those high-tempo jazz pieces.
However these transitions from the marimba’s darting sounds to the delicate floral pieces of the flutes proved too jarring. Unfortunately, it didn’t get any better when both artists joined with the full band as the poor flute didn’t stand a chance to be heard over Abdel Aziz’s colourful playing not to mention the high tones of the qanoon.
It was in one rather lovely bossa nova piece that everyone gelled; the leisurely rhythm gave enough space for Abdel Dayem to conjure some evocative ribbons of melody before Abdel Aziz came through with another explosion of marimba fire.
If it was a face off, then Abdel Aziz easily outshone the more experienced Abdel Dayem. Then again, it really wasn’t a fair fight.
The Sharjah World Music Festival runs until January 25. For ticket details, visit www.ticketmaster.ae
sasaeed@thenational.ae
