Friday's recital in what has proved, once again, to be a fascinating series of EIF concerts, was entitled The Art of the Afghan Rubab, and was surely for most of those present, like myself, an introduction to the ancient stringed instrument, a little like the Indian sarod.
Hamoyun Sakhi is a leading exponent of the rubab and a quite astonishing player, with lightning fingering and picking, and he was accompanied by two equally virtuosic percussionists, Salar Nader on tabla and Abbos Kosimov on the bodhran-like doyra.
Their programme was a very thoughtful journey through the traditional repertoire, beginning with around six minutes of solo improvisation leading into around 25 minutes of raga, constructed in waves that built to a pitch before ebbing away and then building again. Quite different from Indian music in construction, it utilised rock-like rhythms and the sense of building excitement was almost palpable.
The rest of the recital was of instrumental songs from the various regions of Afghanistan, and featured more complex melodies and a single climax, as well as showpieces for both percussionists and a version of the jazz group technique of "swapping fours" in dialogues between the rhythm and melody instruments.
With string playing that combined both lead and rhythm lines and some practised showmanship (juggling two doyra, and Sakhi's affectation of sweeping his hair back while continuing to play with the other hand), there was a nice element of slick performance here too.
Clearly accustomed to being miked up, this trio are a compelling advert for the heritage of a nation about which we are accustomed to hearing only bad things, and that is surely one of the chief purposes of an international festival.
HHHH
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