Sahar © Julien Hanck
by Karen Vourc'h, Dima Bawab, Mohannad Nasser & David Venitucci
Sahar, meaning ‘dawn’ in Arabic and Hebrew, was born out of the friendship between the sopranos Karen Vourc’h, of Jewish origin, and Dima Bawab, a Palestinian. In a fragmented world, rejecting polarised discourse, they have chosen to make music an invitation to come together, where melodies become bridges and languages whisper of a shared humanity: Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish, Armenian, Persian, French, German and Italian.
Drawing on works by Ravel, Mendelssohn, Monteverdi, Poulenc, Duparc, Weill and Eisler, which evoke war, exile, peace and hope, they bring to life traditional Yiddish and Palestinian songs, rooted in the stories of their peoples. A new composition by Sina Fallahzadeh further enriches this sonic journey.
David Venitucci on the accordion and Mohannad Nasser on the oud craft a soundscape of great richness and originality. They improvise, reinventing each melody, arranging and transforming it, weaving intricate and sensitive musical textures.
We take to heart this quote from Pina Bausch:
“For a long time, I thought the artist’s role was to shake up the audience. Today, I want to offer them on stage what the world, having become too harsh, no longer gives them: moments of pure love.”