Anouar Brahem will take to the festival stage with his quartet, created in 2009 for the recording of The Astounding Eyes of Rita. For the first time, the Anouar Brahem Quartet returns to old musical territory with a repertoire that includes some of the group’s regular compositions and pieces from older albums such as Conte de l’Incroyable Amour (1991), Madar (1992), Thimar (1998), Astrakhan Café (2000), The Astounding Eyes of Rita (2009), Blue Maqams (2017). The Anouar Brahem Quartet also includes Klaus Gesing – bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, Björn Meyer – bass, Khaled Yassine – percussion.
With a musical career spanning almost 40 years and a rich discography, Anouar Brahem is undeniably a true master of the oud, who has revealed to the world the sonic magic that this ancient oriental lute carries with it. The power of Brahem’s music lies in his resolute openness to the world and the tenacity with which he has built bridges between modernism and Arab and Islamic musical heritage. With a huge respect for tradition, he has produced a remarkable jazz repertoire, recording no less than 11 albums on ECM Records. John Surman, Dave Holland, Jan Garbarek, Django Bates and Jack DeJohnette are just a few of the musicians who have “succumbed” to Anouar Brahem’s melodious spell.