Joint concert with the Anglo-Turkish Society
Tuesday 23 October 2018 at 6.30pm
at the Royal Anthropological Institute
Musicians: Esbe, Jeff Rodrigues (guitar)
An Evening with Rumi
Composer and singer, Esbe, has produced an album featuring lush cinematic strings, delicate Early Music arrangements and Arabic scales. These arrangements, combined with her clear and resonant vocal style, bring together this eclectic mix to celebrate the musical and historic influences of the poetry she has set to music of the renowned Sufi mystic poet, Jalaluddin Rumi (b1207). Esbe first became interested in the literary heritage of the Middle East when she read that the European troubadours took their tradition from Bedouin poet travellers. And so, she began reading English translations of these poems, some from as early as C9th Iraq, and she was struck by the resonance of their themes and their timeless connection with contemporary thought and life experience. The Rumi poems are taken from “Words of Paradise”, a book of reinterpretations by Raficq Abdulla. Born in South Africa of Muslim parents, Raficq Abdulla is an Oxford-educated barrister, as well as a writer, public speaker, and broadcaster. He was awarded an MBE in 1999 for his interfaith work between Muslims, Jews and Christians. The poems of Jalaluddin Rumi have sold millions of copies in recent years, making him allegedly the most popular poet in the US.
‘Desert Songs’ is Esbe’s musical homage to the region, its poets and our own literary past.
This project is the first of four distinct new album projects that will be appearing throughout this year, bringing the work of this multifaceted composer, singer, musician, producer and artist to the outside world.
Booking essential: https://an-evening-with-rumi.eventbrite.co.uk
Contact: contact@angloturkishsociety.org.uk
Location : Royal Anthropological Institute
50 Fitzroy Street
London
W1T 5BT
United Kingdom
http://www.therai.org.uk
