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There are moments when I am so proud of my adopted country that it hurts. Last Thursday’s concert ‘Nocturne for Pit Orchestra’ held at the national quarry was one of those occasions.
That the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Red Bull Music Academy, The Nass Group and Al Riwaq Art Space not only considered the possibility of labourers putting on a polyphonic concert , a concept barely known outside of countries such as Croatia, but supported and became totally involved with the idea, is extraordinary.
It is something regionally that could probably only ever happen in the glorious melting pot of cultures and artistic expression that is Bahrain.
The venue for the concert was unique. The quarry in all its moonlit majesty with the stars and moon twinkling overhead, the lighting, seating and acoustics, so carefully planned, we the audience had a first-class experience.
We were transported down through the quarry by bus before the event and returned promptly and safely to the car park afterwards, all with precision and better yet, smiling helpers.
The event was a glorious collaboration between Italian artist Ilaria Lupo, Lebanese artist Rabith Beanai and Bahriani composer and musician Hasan Hujari. It was an artistic and musical triumph, not the least because there were so many obstacles to overcome.
I can imagine the stunned silence when the workers at the quarry were asked if they would like to be part of a polyphonic (singing two notes at the same time) orchestra and perform before a multi-cultural audience with only one month to rehearse and basically no experience between them.
What I cannot envision is how they got anyone to agree!
Along with the accompanying musicians, who are also quarry workers and played traditional Indian instruments, they the choir pulled off something truly and entirely magical.
People were so eager to be a part of something special even though that meant travelling down pitch-black desert roads to find the quarry, that the event was at least 200 per cent over subscribed. Yet, I didn’t hear one murmur of complaint as people stood crouched and found any space to fit in once all the seats were taken.
The concert opened with a musical piece that featured both the muted voices of the singers and the glorious cacophony of the orchestra invocating, to me at least, the sounds and power of the winds that sweep around the quarry, whilst echoing the hopes of the workers until there was a magnificent surge of slightly discordant noise that was probably heard in Saudi Arabia and silence.
For a few seconds we were all afraid to applaud in case it was simply a pause in the music. Once we realised that it was OK to break out in enthusiastic cheering and clapping we aimed for the noise to reach the stars.
What followed was unbelievable. The voices of the singers, none of whom had any previous training in voice control, held notes for seemingly longer than a deep-sea diver can hold a breath!
I simply don’t have the words to describe it. The sounds of the notes were so powerful that I am sure they pulled different strings in everyone’s soul.
Singers came forward to deliver in their own regional language and stirred our emotions even further and then, all too soon, the evening was over after a magnificent piece by the musicians which ended with a clash between two of the musicians dancing and waving their tambourines like battle swords.
I simply cannot heap enough praise on everyone involved. Bahrain’s Spring of Culture brings us amazing acts every year, but this one ... this was something very, very special.
Congratulations to all. I cannot begin to imagine how the labourers felt having to face us all and entertain us but I know how we all felt. In our minds, we all rode home on magic carpets thanks to them.
Christine Hasan
