Topic: Music with Arabic theme/scale

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Any good music/recording with Arabic, or Middle-eastern, theme/scale?

[Brian]

Persian rather than Arabic, so feel free to disregard, but Reza Vali is a pretty interesting composer who requires all sorts of new tunings of his performers.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Persian rather than Arabic, so feel free to disregard, but Reza Vali is a pretty interesting composer who requires all sorts of new tunings of his performers.

Great info! I will check it out. I was thinking about a term “muslim” because I didn’t want to preclude Persian (or Turkish) influences, but ended up using the term Arabic.

[71 dB]

Phrygian dominant?

Persian rather than Arabic, so feel free to disregard, but Reza Vali is a pretty interesting composer who requires all sorts of new tunings of his performers.

I have the Reza Vali CD on Naxos, but of course Amazon doesn't have cover picture! 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Phrygian dominant?

Correct.

[relm1]

Resphighi Belkis, Queen of Sheba.
Saint Saens Bacchanale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbkCfxnoY4A

[Brian]

Great info! I will check it out. I was thinking about a term “muslim” because I didn’t want to preclude Persian (or Turkish) influences, but ended up using the term Arabic.

Turkish - definitely Fazil Say. He has composed a lot of solo piano works for himself but probably the best or easiest starting point is his violin concerto "1001 Nights in the Harem" which is built around folk drumming and (in the third movement) a Turkish melody which dates back to the 1700s. In the 1900s the tune was set with a love poem that family lore claims was about one of my great-great-uncles (it's about a girl who goes to a government office and falls for a cute bureaucrat) (not joking), and then badly translated and turned into an Eartha Kitt single.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Resphighi Belkis, Queen of Sheba.
Saint Saens Bacchanale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbkCfxnoY4A

The both, especially Respighi, sound great and aesthetic. Thank you!

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Turkish - definitely Fazil Say. He has composed a lot of solo piano works for himself but probably the best or easiest starting point is his violin concerto "1001 Nights in the Harem" which is built around folk drumming and (in the third movement) a Turkish melody which dates back to the 1700s. In the 1900s the tune was set with a love poem that family lore claims was about one of my great-great-uncles (it's about a girl who goes to a government office and falls for a cute bureaucrat) (not joking), and then badly translated and turned into an Eartha Kitt single.

I checked the V Concerto, Mesopotamia Symphony and a few piano pieces. They all are wonderful. I noticed that he released several albums, including the 1001, from Naive label. A few members and I discussed about the label a few weeks ago. Thanks for the info.

[Mandryka]

[71 dB]

I have the Reza Vali CD on Naxos, but of course Amazon doesn't have cover picture! 

I revisited this disc and I have to say I don't like it much. With headphones the spatiality is really ugly. With speakers the soundstage is "airy", but the music itself isn't my cup of tea. I also find the recording too dynamic. Half of the time the sound is too quiet and half of the time it's too loud. 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I revisited this disc and I have to say I don't like it much. With headphones the spatiality is really ugly. With speakers the soundstage is "airy", but the music itself isn't my cup of tea. I also find the recording too dynamic. Half of the time the sound is too quiet and half of the time it's too loud. 

I like this album.