CAIRO - Recalling the past is what the Austrian Embassy in Cairo has been doing by presenting us with the hidden artistic treasures of previous eras in the Cairo Opera House's Open Air Theatre, courtesy of the Accentus Austria Ensemble. Since its inception in 1992, the Accentus Austria Ensemble has studied and improvised the music of various traditions under the direction of Thomas Wimmer. Accentus' repertoire ranges from music hailing from the moors of Algeria and Morocco to orally transmitted Sephardic romances and Baroque music, all of which enhanced the music of Renaissance Spain. Entitled ‘Music of the Three Cultures', the evening consisted of songs from the Baroque era in Spain, with its three strong religions. As the programme said, the number of musicians in Accentus demanded for each piece ranged from three to 17. The night began with familiar Oriental flavours, with the tabla, tambourine, oud and rabab enlivening the songs of Moroccan poet Mohamed el-Haik. I have to admit that the oud, played by Karim Othman, stole the show. Othman impressed the audience with his creativity and the way he maintained the rhythm and of the Oriental melodies. He delivered the music in an Egyptian way for Egyptian ears, as the performance focused on Iraqi and Turkish melodies. David Mayoral and Wolfgang Reithofer also performed a wonderful duet with the tabla and tambourine, while the solo symphony by the Spanish harpist Reinhild Waldek was awesome. There was also an amazing performance by a trio consisting of the director of the troupe; playing the viola de gamba (large viola); Jane Achtmann on the fiddle; and Michael Posch, playing a flute-like instrument. Another hero was tenor César Carazo, who had been to Morocco and Algeria, where he was taught how to pronounce Arabic lyrics. Cazaro, who hails from Spain, has a clear, soft and reassuring voice, suited to Baroque, which conjures up pews and churches. His vocals marked a seamless progression from Arabic music to Sephardic songs. In encompassing three centuries of music, Accentus also touched on some timeless oral traditions. The confluence of language and music that shaped the Spanish Renaissance, with its Arabic music, Sephardic romance and Christian hymns, spoke eloquently to an audience in the middle of another renaissance, after the recent revolution here. Preserving the traditional music and the transition between different styles of music, and retaining the strumming of Eastern strings, till they fused with the drums and flute, was something very difficult, but it was brilliantly executed by the Ensemble. I must thank them for working so hard to cater for an Egyptian audience with its Arabian tastes. Of course, the works they selected also helped, as the programme showed the extent to which European music has been inspired and influenced by the Arabian variety. [email protected]
