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SUFI RITUALS AND THE WHIRLING DERVISHES

25. MARCH 19.00



Saturday
2023


The World inside Great Amber / Syria

For the first time in the concert series The World inside Great Amber, we will have the opportunity to encounter Sufi philosophy, full of peace, love, and respect, leading on a meditative and transcendent journey towards divine consciousness. This experience will be shared with the audience by one of the world’s greatest ensembles of Arab classical music, the Al-Kindi Ensemble, and the Whirling Dervishes of Damascus.

Dear visitors! We would like to inform you that due to Ramadan, the concert will start at 19:15.

Sufism is an Islamic spiritual movement and practice revolving around the belief that the truth about divine love and knowledge can be obtained through a direct personal experience with God. It is believed that the first Sufis were late-eighth-century and early-ninth-century ascetics living in Iraq and Syria. The basis of their faith is spiritual growth; Sufis are interested in the allegorical sense of the Quran – they look for hidden meanings in written text. 

The Syrian capital of Damascus is a key center of the Islamic faith, the former capital of the Umayyad Caliphate, and one of the points on the pilgrimage to the holiest city Mecca. In this upcoming concert program, the audience will join the Al-Kindi Ensemble and the Whirling Dervishes of Damascus to discover Sufi religious song and the Dervish Sama ritual, which is essentially a musically plastic and deeply meditative service.

For 40 years, the Al-Kindi Ensemble has united brilliant instrumentalists and vocalists from Syria, Egypt, and Tunisia, with the goal of presenting the rich language of art perfected in their ancient culture. Their repertoire includes examples of both spiritual and secular music, as well as forgotten compositions that can only be interpreted by the highest class of performers.

Along with the sacred music of the Sufis, we will also experience a Whirling Dervish ritual. Dervishes are Sufi ascetics, or monks, who fully devote themselves to spiritual growth and serving others while refusing all that is secular and material. Unlike Christian mendicants, they can have a family – this teaching and ceremonial practice has been passed down from father to son for many generations.

While whirling, they direct their right arm at the sky to receive Allah’s blessing, while the palm of the left hand faces the ground to pass the heavenly blessing to people and land. During this ritual dance, the Dervish reach a deeply meditative state and concentrate on the highest form of love, losing their earthly egos.

The Al-Kindi Ensemble was founded in 1983 by French musician, musicologist and qanûn virtuoso Julien Jalâl Eddine Weiss (1953–2015) with the purpose of preserving and promoting Arab classical music. The ensemble is regarded as the establishers of the genre and pioneers of its performance culture, observed by traditional music performers of following generations. The Al-Kindi Ensemble have collaborated with the brightest singers of Syria, Iraq, and Turkey, and performed on the most prominent stages of Europe, New Zealand, Brazil, Singapore, and the USA, including the Carnegie Hall in New York. They are regular guests at the prestigious Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, the Arab World Institute, the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, the Baalbeck International Festival, and many other events.

We will see the Sema ritual performed by the whirling Dervishes of Damascus, Hatem Al-Jamal and Hicham Al-Khatib, who belong to the ancient tradition of whirling Dervishes, the Mevlevi Order. Hatem Al-Jamal has performed with the Al-Kindi Ensemble since 1994.

Artists:

Ensemble “Al Kindi”:

Sheikh Hamed Daoud, chant

Ziad Kadi Amin, ney

Adel Shams El Din, riqq

Mohamed Qadri Dalal), ud

Khadija El-Afritt, qanûn

Diaa Daoud, chorist (munshid)

Solieman Daoud, chorist (munshid)


The Whirling Dervishes of Damascus:

Hatem Al-Jamal, whirling dervish

Hicham Al-Khatib, whirling dervish


Romain Frydman, sound engineer



Koncertzālē "Lielais dzintars" pirmoreiz piedzīvosim sūfiju mūziku un virpuļojošo dervišu rituālus!

Location:

Great hall


Event duration:

19.00-20.30 / ~ 1h 30 min


Tickets:

The event is intended for an adult audience. Children under the age of 5 may not be admitted to events for an adult audience.

Unnumbered tickets only for visitors in wheelchairs.


Organized by:

Lielais dzintars


Supported by:

Liepāja City Council and European Regional Development Fund


Discounts:

  • School children, students, teachers, seniors – 25%

  • Seniors with group I and II disabilities, and their carers – 50%

  • Family tickets – 1 or 2 adults + 2 children (or more) – 25%

Group tickets:

  • 10-30 persons – 20%

  • 30 and more persons – 25%


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