The Ziggurat Builders 2011

A collaborative project exploring the music of the voice and the ‘ūd from medieval to contemporary sounds, culminating in a new composition by Marcus Davidson for vocal trio (Voice), ‘ūd (Khyam Allami), and cello (Tara Franks).

The title and libretto are taken from an existing poem by the late Iraqi Assyrian poet Sargon Boulus (1944-2007) translated from Arabic into English by the Author.

The 25 minute work draws on the unique sounds and individual qualities of the vocal trio Voice and ‘ūd player Khyam Allami, exploring the meeting of performing traditions from the east and west. Creating a new sound source for the, as yet, unexplored combination of ‘ūd, voice, and cello.

Toured throughout UK June 2011

Thanks also to PRSF who supported the creation of The Ziggurat Builders

LISTEN – to a clip from the Premiere held at St Ethelburga’s Centre

The Ziggurat Builders Flyer 2011

[expand title=”Read more”]

The poetry:

Ancient Sanskrit prayer

Om jabakushuma sankasham, kashyapeyam, mahadyutim

Dhantarim sarva – papaghnam pranotohasmi divakaram

 

Who’s redness at dawn is that of the hibiscus flower

Child of Kashypa, O great light

You hold for us all our sins

We therefore bow down to you, O herald of the day

 

The Ziggurat Builders

Sargon Boulus

from The Knife Sharpener (Banipal, 2009, pp.108-109)

 

They were

the first dreamers

who embodied the shape

of a dream in clay:

a stairwell of prayers

that will scale

the heights.

 

They knew:

a stranger once

passed among them,

and disappeared.

His shade

will be redeemed

in the form

of a ziggurat –

this ship of the gods

whose figurehead

will rend the clouds.

 

And learned:

it is a sea of time,

on whose shore

from time to time,

we might glimpse

an ancestor’s

figure in white,

who will nod to us

 

across a thousand years

and wait for his ship

[/expand]