In this encounter at the crossroads of different worlds, Les Violons du Roy step daringly outside their usual stomping grounds to venture into other realms! These guardians of the pearls of music from the baroque and classical periods will put their bows to work on a very different repertory, that of Arab classical music.
In the space of an evening, they will be lending their ears and fingers to the learned wind sounds of the Arab ney. Eminent ney player Rachid Zeroual will accompany them to the sensual and dreamlike sound of his instrument, a type of flute dating back thousands of years, with origins in the Sumerian civilizations. The Oktoecho band, known for its appropriation of Western and Eastern musical features, unique in Canada, will also join in the journey. It will help blur the boundaries between maqâms and European tradition, forming an obvious bridge. In addition Leïla Gouchi, a rising star of Moroccan song, will round out, with her diaphanous voice, this musical constellation aligned from West to East: Oum Koulthoum, Fairouz and Abdel Halim, along with muwashahat and classics of Arab song, will be in tune with the caresses of the violins in perfect eurythmy.
Les Violons du Roy, Oktoecho, Leïla Gouchi, Rachid Zeroual – an array of names and worlds gathered in a concert unusual in its content, with Western strings being lured East in a remarkable encounter marked by the tremor of improbable adventures.
