The soprano Amel Brahim-Djelloul moves with
beauty, grace and ease between opera and the music of the Muslim
traditions of the Mediterranean seaboard countries.
I
was drawn to this disc by the delight uncovered by hearing
the
Pneuma CD
of Eduardo Paniagua’s
El agua y los árabes. This
Ame Son CD celebrates the musical traditions of the Mediterranean
seaboard in tones that many westerners will in general
regard as exotic - something rich and strange, indeed.
These tracks lay bare the styles and cultures redolent
of distant radio stations pulled in on short wave. They
will also set off resonances with the music of the Crusaders,
of Provence, of the troubadour traditions, of Berio's folk-song
realisations and the arrangements by Canteloube.
The
music draws on the Al-Andalus period in Iberia from 711
to 1492. We hear a light sprinkling of purely instrumental
tracks mixed with the majority of vocal tracks where Amel
Brahim-Djelloul sings in both French and Arabic. The booklet
gives plenty of context - essential in my case - and the
words are printed in original Arabic script as well as
in French and English translation. Two of the most impressive
tracks are
Al Xir Inu -
Kabyle (trs. 20 and
21) where the music is melancholy and simple with mandolin
and the you supple voice of Amel Brahim-Djelloul. This
music could easily inform the next Capercaillie project
if they ever get to hear this fascinating album. Speaking
of Celtic-Muslim fusion try tr. 22. It hits the spot with
the strangest echoes of Hebridean psalm singing and the
Arabic tradition! The vocal line across the disc is often
marked out by ululation, a sinuous mesmerising motion and
is scorched with nasal tone. The youthful beautiful voice
of Brahim-Djelloul is decorated and intensified with instrumental
parts for ud, drums, violin, tambourine, mandolin and guitar.
The vigour of these traditions is evident from
Khlaç (tr.
5) with its sharply etched rhythmic whirl and emphasised
solo-chorus dialogue.
Rob Barnett
Detailed track-listing
1 Pièce instrumentale traditionnelle
du Maalouf tunisien dans le tab' inqilab çba'yn
Extrait de la nouba dans
le tab' zidane (École d'Alger):
2. Istikhbar : improvisation
violon /
3. Inqileb : Ya bad'i el-hosn
(ô sublime beauté) /
4. Inçiraf : Ya ghazal
(ô Gazelle) /
5. Khlaç : Ma teftaker
ya Ghazali (Te souviens-tu mon bien-aimé ?)
Chants séfarades et pièces
turco-grecques :
6. Pièce instrumentale
populaire turque dans la maqâm hijaz /
7. Istikhbar dans le tab'
sika : improvisation ud /
8. Chahidi fil houb (Témoin
de mon amour) - Poème de Ibn Al Labbâna ( ?-1113) adapté sur
la musique de Yedi Kulé, chant séfarade de Salonique /
9. Istikhbar dans le tab'
ghrib: improvisation mandoline /
10. Ebligh li Gharnata
salami (Transmets à Grenade mon salut) - Poème de Ibn Zamrak
(1333-1398) adapté sur Una matica del ruda, chant séfarade
de Rhodès /
11. Karshilama - danse
traditionnelle turco-grecque /
12. Los Bilbilicos - chant
séfarade turco-grec
Mélodies extraites de l'Album
des chansons Arabes, Mauresques et Kabyles de Francisco
Salvador-Daniel (1831-1871) – adaptation pour ensemble
traditionnel (Rachid Brahim-Djelloul):
13.Chebbou Choubban /
14.Istikhbar dans le tab'
muwal : improvisation ud /
15.Klaa Beni Abbes /
16. Zohra /
17.Chanson Mauresque de
Tunis
Extrait de la nouba dans
le tab' inqilab çba'yn (Maalouf tunisien):
18.Ya hel tara hel yerja'u
(Me reviendra-t-il mon bien aimé ?)
19.Min ennawa yaoum el
firaq (Douloureuse séparation !)
Chants kabyles:
20.Ay al xir inu (Tendresse
) - Chanson kabyle – Idir /
21.Amedyez (Le chant du
poète) - Chanson kabyle – Idir /
22.Abgas t-teslit (Ceinturage
de la mariée) – Poésie traditionnelle kabyle adaptée sur
la musique de Buenas noches hanum dudu, chant séfarade
de Salonique
Amel Brahim-Djelloul
(soprano) 
