By Sarah Irving
True to form, the rain is
hammering down on Glasgow. In the foyer of the Royal Concert Hall young men in
sharp black, wearing scarves bearing the unmistakable checkered print of the
Palestinian kuffiyeh, are prowling around moodily. One detects pre-performance
nerves.
This is the second night of
the Palestine Youth Orchestra’s six-night debut tour of Britain. On the first
night of their tour, the orchestra filled the concert hall in Perth; their show
in Glasgow’s monumental concert hall sold out. The remaining tour stops include
Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff and finally London.
If there were indeed pre-show
nerves, they weren’t necessary: the Palestine Youth Orchestra received a full
standing ovation. Not even greats like the St. Petersburg Philharmonic get that
when performing in Scotland.
The Palestine Youth Orchestra
know their audience. Their diverse program showcased their skills, but also
allowed for the fact that, as a newcomer to the international scene, ticket
sales will for the moment rely as much on solidarity as on attendees with a
passion for classical music. With a range of different styles and feels, the
ensemble’s selections were clearly – and successfully – intended to appeal to
all tastes.
First up was the Leonore
Overture No.3 from Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio. As Layth Sidiq, the
orchestra’s skilled concertmaster, pointed out in one of the many short
introductions and commentaries made by different members during the evening,
the opera’s plot resonates strongly with the group of young Palestinians, as it
tells the story of a young woman disguising herself to free her husband from
political prison.
Following this, the orchestra
performed with vocal soloist Nai Barghouti three 20th-century Arabic songs: two
written by the Lebanese Rahbani brothers for the great singer Fayrouz, and a
third by Zakariyya Ahmad, with lyrics from a work by Egyptian poet Bayram
al-Tunisi, originally composed for the Egyptian diva Umm Kulthum.
Up-and-coming star Barghouti –
born in Akka, a graduate of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, and
a composer and flautist as well as singer – has a stunning voice. With deep,
rich tones beyond her years, she doesn’t try to emulate Fayrouz or Umm Kulthum,
but makes these songs her own with a more naturalistic style and open, frank
delivery.
The first half of the
performance closed with “Metal,” a short piece by contemporary composer Graham
Fitkin, a celebratory work inspired by modern British classical music. This
bold, pacey, upbeat work is the result of an open competition held by the
Palestine Youth Orchestra in 2015.
Chosen from more than 30
entries, Fitkin’s work highlights the orchestra’s tightness and sense of
timing; with a lively, almost pop-like core, the pronounced percussion needs to
be spot-on to sound right, rather than random. Fortunately, it was.
The second half of the program
consisted of an international touring orchestra favorite, Mussorgsky’s Picture
at an Exhibition. A series of vignettes responding to paintings by the
composer’s friend Victor Hartmann, interspersed with a Promenade theme which
represents the composer walking between the images, it is a varied piece which
showcases the talents – or, in unlucky cases, failings – of different soloists
and sections of the orchestra.
The Palestine Youth Orchestra
tackles Mussorgsky’s work beautifully, alternating between the limpid, moving
Promenade and the various “pictures,” ranging from the lively, even funny
“Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks in their Shells” to the menacing “Catacombs.”
When listening to this skilled
orchestra, it’s easy to forget that the musicians’ ages range from 26 to just
14, and that their very presence in one concert hall, on one night, involves
overcoming huge political and logistical challenges.
Although the Palestine Youth
Orchestra has sprung from the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, which
has branches in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, the orchestra’s members
are spread across historic Palestine, including within the State of Israel.
Indeed, two musicians were
unable to join this tour, despite being scheduled to perform: from Gaza, they
were denied exit by Israel.
Their far-flung origins, and
the reality of Israel’s severe control over Palestinian movement, means that
the players only get to rehearse as a full orchestra when on tour. The program
for this tour was honed in Britain, workshopped with tutors at the Royal
Conservatoire of Scotland, and finalized alongside guest musicians from the UK.
The backgrounds of many of the
orchestra’s members show the additional political obstacles it faces. Violist
Omar Saad, for instance, is a young Druze citizen of Israel whose musical
talents have often been overshadowed by the many
jail terms he has been sentenced to since the age of 17 for refusing to
serve in the Israeli military.
Omar’s brother Mostafa, who
plays violin with the Palestine Youth Orchestra, also faces jail time for
refusing to be conscripted.
Some members of the orchestra
hail from refugee camps in the West Bank and the wider Middle East.
Others are citizens of Israel
who grew up detached from fellow Palestinian musicians; flautist Nardin Ballan,
for instance, was raised in Nazareth and studied and performed in Tel Aviv with
Israeli musicians.
According to a spokesperson
with PalMusic, the Palestine Youth Orchestra’s representative organization in
Britain, Ballan’s first-ever visits to the West Bank were with the orchestra,
and have been “life-changing” for her.
Ultimately, though, the
Palestine Youth Orchestra was formed to play music, and in Glasgow, they
overcame all their challenges to do so wonderfully well. To see this orchestra
perform is not an act of solidarity, it is a musical treat.
Sarah Irving is author of a biography of
Leila Khaled and of the Bradt Guide
to Palestine and co-editor of A Bird is not a
Stone.
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