Musical Performance: 'Oud Maestro and Composer Issam Rafea Performs Taqsim & Original Compositions

Issam Rafea Performs Taqsim & Original Compositions on ‘Oud with guest musician, Dave Phillips, on bass

Tickets: $20 General | $15 for Students & Seniors (Buy Now*) (*A small online fee is applied)

Doors open at 7:30 pm

Considered an 'oud virtuouso and a renowned composer, Issam Rafea was invited in March of 2013 to direct the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble and to give a series of presentations and performances at Northern Illinois University School of Music. Offering a unique opportunity to see Issam perform live in New York, Alwan for the Arts is very pleased to present an evening with Issam rooted in taqsim and in Issam’s own compositioins. Taqsim is a melodic musical improvisation that usually precedes the performance of a traditional Arab, Greek, Middle Eastern, or Turkish musical composition. It traditionally follows a certain melodic progression in either a solo instrument performance, or one that is backed by a percussionist or other instrumentalist playing a drone on the tonic of the maqam, one of the principal instrumental genres of Arab and Turkish classical music. A taqsim is ordinarily improvised and consists of several sections; it is usually (though not always) nonmetric. It may be a movement of a suite, such as the North African nauba or the Turkish fasil, but may also be performed alone or as introductory piece to vocal performances. Usually, a taqsim is cast in one principal maqam, or mode, but, often in the course of its performance and once the main maqam has been thoroughly established and explored, the improvising musician modulates for brief periods to other maqamat and returns at the end to the original mode. Although any melodic instrument can be used to perform taqsim, those most often used in Arab music are the ʿoud (short-necked lute), buzuq (long-necked lute), and qanun (plucked dulcimer) and in Turkish music, the ney (end-blown flute).

Issam is an internationally acclaimed 'oud soloist, whose performance at Alwan will offer a unique opportunity to see him perform live, during his temporary stay in the United States. Issam will be accompanied by Dave Philips on bass for select pieces performed as part of the evening’s original repertoire.