A musical experience with a mixture of oriental-exotic and European-familiar sounds awaits the audience. A choir, most of whose members come from Syria, presents oriental folk songs as well as Byzantine spiritual music. The programme is complemented by traditional oriental instruments such as the oud and darabuka. Short contributions on history and culture round off the programme.
Western perceptions of the Orient are often characterised by the juxtaposition of a (formerly) "Christian" Europe and a "Muslim" Arab world - a division that often creates a divide. In doing so, we lose sight of the fact that Christianity and key elements of European culture have their roots in this very region. Christian oriental culture also remains largely unknown in Europe - "unseen", so to speak.
The programme aims to provide an insight into the diversity of the Christian Orient.
With the kind support of Sparkasse Chemnitz.
