Search - Aicha Redouane :: Vocal Arabesques

Classic Arabic music

09/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I must admit I was very pleasantly surprised when I purchased this CD, at first I was a little hesitant, but now I am very glad I did. Aicha has a very powerful and beautiful voice, she sings in a variety of styles, ranging from her native Morocco and Anadalusian style, to Egyptian, even to Levantine. I personally loved it and almost immediately went out and searched to see if she has any other works. I was not disappointed, she has one other CD which is also very good, but this is my personal favorite. Even if you are not a connossieur of Arabic music, and I have played it to a number of my friends who are not, you will love this CD, in fact many have thanked me afterwards for introducing them to her. It is certainly not pop music so if that is what you are looking for, this is not the CD for you, this is real musicianship and excellent singing. Aicha and al-Adwar attempt to recreate the classical Arabic genre and they do a pretty good job."

High Art of a Classical Chamber Ensemble

Dr. Debra Jan Bibel | Oakland, CA USA | 07/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This live recording of classical Arabic music by a chamber ensemble, called takht, features the vocalist Aicha Redouane accompanied by qanun zither, ud lute, kaman violin, and riqq drum. This is essentially art music. The variety of instrumental timbre plus the very fine vocal phrasing and ornamentation have the objective to produce tarab, a high emotional state in both performer and listener. You need not be a connoisseur of the maqam scale or various rhythms in these suites to appreciate the beauty of the sound and Redouane's pure, clear voice and her vocal improvisations. The Institut du Monde Arabe in France had issued a large number of recordings in their survey of Arabic music, many of them superb, and perhaps someday the institute will again make them available. Meanwhile, you may search for it among Amazon's sellers and be rewarded with this perfect example of the art of Arabic music that developed in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century."