To close this edition of the Festival, what could be more exciting than a return to the roots, to the golden age of the Arab world when musicians, singers and poets lit up stages from Cairo to Paris, from Beirut to New York, revolutionizing the arts and shaking up societies? With the best known classic songs from the Arab world brought up to date, the series “Les Immortels” will pay tribute this year to the great names of male tarab, from Sayed Darwish to Abdel Wahab and including Sayyed Mekkawi, Nazem al-Ghazali and Karem Mahmoud.
Led powerfully by Nidal Ibourk and Wissam Amar, among Montréal’s top performers of Arab song, the evening will be devoted to classics that have combined learned music with popular tunes. Rejuvenating the great standards of Arab song, they will be surrounded by local musical virtuosi and will offer a stirring rendition of the great masterworks, displaying great panache as they present melodies and tunes that have left their mark on Arab music through the ages.
The evening promises to be rich in emotion and virtuosity, showcasing a not-so-distant past when song, music and dance shone in colour and in black and white! We remember and shall always remember the immortals!
