On February 4, the first concert in Russia by the Spanish ensemble “Al Firdaus” will take place on the stage of the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall as part of the VII Winter International Yuri Bashmet Art Festival in Moscow.

“Al Firdaus” is translated from Arabic as Paradise, grace, the posthumous dwelling place of the righteous. This is how musicians from Spain, Morocco, England, France and Venezuela decided to call themselves, who joined forces in 2012 in Granada in an ensemble led by English violinist and singer Ali Keeler.

The band members are musicians from different countries, united by a common goal: to revive the tradition of making music in the Spanish Muslim East. Six and a half centuries ago, this culture was supplanted by the Reconquista, but it left a deep mark on Spanish and Mediterranean culture.

The ensemble has a unique style that combines elements of Eastern and Western musical traditions. This allows the team to harmoniously combine different musical languages. An important place in the ensemble’s repertoire is occupied by traditional percussion, which includes frame and cube-shaped drums. These instruments create a rhythmic basis that gives the sound of the ensemble a special depth and expressiveness.

In addition, the ensemble performs music based on poems written in the Alhamiado – specific Castilian language of the Moriscos. This language, written in Arabic script, was banned and considered lost after the expulsion of the Moriscos from Spain. However, thanks to the manuscripts they hid in the walls of their homes, this unique cultural tradition has survived to this day.

Tickets: https://bmaf.ru/ansambl-al-firdaus/