Iraqi composer: six-languages project at a music festival in Belgium

INA – BAGHDAD
 
Iraqi composer Qoutayba Neiami presents Confluence  at the Sacred Music Festival in Belgium. The concert is a joint production between Abu Dhabi Festival and the International Mars Foundation.
 
"I feel proud to see the Confluence project inaugurate the Sacred Music Festival, and being at the same time a part of Abu Dhabi Festival abroad programme," Al Neaimi told the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
 
He added "The project was elaborated in collaboration with the French-Portuguese composer Judith Adler de Oliveira, who wrote the libretto (text) and a composition (the overture). The project brings together 18 singers and musicians, conducted by David Navarro Turres. It combines operatic singing and the Arabic voice, and mixes the colors of Western and Arab musical instruments,"
 
The project is imagined in six ancient and modern languages, including Arabic, Latin and French, and served by operatic voices. The work was set to send a message in favor of “cultural tolerance and peaceful coexistence, especially between religions”, as it aims to “focus on the common roots of civilizations, and enhance the value of hospitality embodied by the figure of Abraham,” according to Al Neaimi.
 
" The Confluence project has been conceived as a musical journey from mourning to reconciliation. It is a vibrant musical tribute to the founding civilizations of the Middle Eastern and Western worlds, situated at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers," he added, stressing that "this project is the fruit of a musical, literary and human encounter, blending cultural borders until they become undistinguishable,”
 
He noted that among his latest projects is a collaboration with the world-knowned oud soloist Naseer Shamma, aiming to “expand the oud and symphonic orchestra repertoire" noting that "the world premiere of this musical program will be held with the Bulgarian National Radio Orchestra led by Mark Kadan next February, 11th 2022,”