Ancient Musical Traditions Are Part of the Fez Festival

Saturday and Sunday afternoon in Batha Museum's garden were dedicated to musical traditions from the ancient past of two very different regions and religions of the world.  One from the arid Middle East where Christianity originated and the other from the frigid Nordic tribal home of the Sami people and their gods.

First, Ghada Shbeir from Lebanon presented Eastern Orthodox Chants on Saturday.  Her very formal performance focused on ancient forms of Christian song in Aramaic, the language of Christ.  She told the audience the songs dated from the first through the fourth centuries of the Christian religion in the Middle East.  Ms. Shbeir was accompanied at times by Imane Homsi on the Qanoun, an instrument resembling an autoharp but with a decidedly Eastern sound.  Oftentimes, Ms. Shbeir's clear, rich voice was the only instrument conveying not only the words telling the story of Christ's experiences on Earth, but expressing the joy, sorrow and awe of his followers forever after.

Sunday afternoon's performance by Mari Boine from Norway was a mix of traditional and contemporary song presentations from the area known as Lapland.  Backed by a band composed of two guitars, a flute and trumpet and a full set of drums, Ms. Boine's dynamic performance was a commercial crowd-pleaser that had some fans on their feet and dancing. Her wide vocal range went from a clear soprano to a throaty alto as she sang songs to the wind, the mountains, the eagle and Sami goddess Salaka.   The concert was entertaining and the weather cool, making for a pleasant afternoon.