The Oud Festival will celebrate 10 years of music connecting East and West, with the Oud at its heart. The festival will take place at the Tzavta Theatre in Tel Aviv, under the artistic direction of Eli Grunfeld, from August 19 – 25, 2012.
Opening the festival on Sunday, August 19th will be Liat Yitzhaki with original songs from her forthcoming debut album, as well as piyyutim and Andalusian songs in new arrangements. Performing with Yitzhaki will be special guest Leah Shabbat. The concert will take place at 21:00 in the Hazan Hall.
The Nazareth Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Nizar Raduwan, will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Egyptian diva Asmahane with the beloved songs of Umm Kulthum, Asmahane and Layla Morad performed by orchestra soloist Hiba Battihish and Rula Azar, who will be performing with the orchestra for the first time. The concert will take place in Hazan Hall on Monday, August 20th at 20:30.
“Baby Oriental” is a performance for the whole family featuring well-known Israeli children’s songs in new arrangements, with a Middle Eastern touch. Shlomo Bar, Dan Shtag, Sharona Elimelech and the Desert Drummers will perform songs by Uzi Hitman, Yoni Rechter, Nurit Hirsh, Miriam Yellin Shteklis, Nahum Vardi and Leah Goldberg. The concert will take place on Tuesday, August 21st at 20:30 in Hazan Hall.
Mark and Peretz Eliyahu will perform together in “Sands” with guest singer Ilana Eliya. “Sands” is a musical fantasy composed by the father-and-son pair that takes the traditional music of Kurdistan and the Caucasian Mountains into a new sound and groove, combining authentic traditional and Western instruments. The concert will take place on Wednesday, August 22nd at 20:30 in Lola Hall.
Algerian pianist Maurice El Médioni – King of Rai and a legendary figure on the world music scene – will host the Dialna Quintet. An evening of Jewish-Arab-Andalusian soul music with Boogie-Woogie, Rhumba and Flamenco rhythms. Piano & vocals: Maurice El Médioni; violin: Elad Levi; oud: Hanan Kadosh; doublebass: Hagai Bilitzky; percussion: Hillel Aslam; darbuka: Netanai Ben Shetrit. The concert will take place on Wednesday, August 22nd at 21:00 in Hazan Hall.
Yaman Ensemble will host the Queen of Yemenite song Gila Bashari and master oud player Amos Hoffman on Saturday, August 25th with songs that have become an integral part of Israeli culture in new arrangements. The concert will take place in Hazan Hall at 21:00.
All this and more – at Tzavta from August 19 – 25, 2012. Midnight East reader discount: 65 NIS (instead of 80 NIS) for Lola and Hazan Hall performances, 50 NIS (instead of 65 NIS) for Tzavta 2 – USE CODE 2012 when ordering tickets from the Tzavta box office : 03-6950156/7. Tickets may also be purchased online.
