The Sharjah World Music Festival ended on an evocative note on Sunday with back-to-back concerts by Oumeima El Khalil and Lena Chamamyan.
Both gigs were postponed due to the three-day mourning period announced on Friday to honour the late Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Any fears that the delay sapped the public’s enthusiasm were more than allayed – the Flag Island Amphitheatre was packed with a diverse crowd.
First up was Lebanon's El Khalil and she was a breath of fresh air. While many Lebanese musical performances in the UAE are often bombastic affairs due to the inclusion of an orchestra, El Khalil's baroque compositions were pared back with a delicate seven-piece band. Highlights were the jazzy Asfour and the propulsive Bonduqia, which came with a marching beat. She ended her set with the polka-eseque Al Kamanja – the crowd sang along to its toe-tapping chorus.
Chamamyan closed the festival with a jazz-inspired set of Syrian folk songs. The flame-haired singer has a lot going for her. Her sparse unassuming songs hinted that Tori Amos features in her CD collection, while her quirky voice channelled Björk. The lugubrious Bali Ma'ak was perked up by some beefy bass grooves, while Awal Musafar took a more pastoral route with its mix of oriental keyboard melodies and rich qanoon tones.
[ sasaeed@thenational.ae ]
