Joseph Tawadros far from vanity
2019 keeps going strong with another one of our favourite musicians’ latest album – Joseph Tawadros. The recently released on The Planet/ MGM, “Betrayal of a Sacred Sunflower”.
Joseph Tawadros has decided to pair the oud with the piano, the trombone, string instruments and the electric guitar, and of course, his brother James Tawadros on percussions.
As a result, we listen to a mystical, meditative, autumn themed, warm, and cosy album. Like a contemporary songbook in a medieval minimalistic style, where the compositions blend into one another naturally.
We really love the variety we get with each one of Tawadros’s albums. You can read about the previous one here. In his newest album, Tawadros leaves even more space for our imagination. Once again we encounter incredibly delicate duets, trios, and quartets of the oud with various instruments.
Apart from being an incredible virtuoso with the oud, Tawadros is a very original composer, with a sense for the beauty of music. His ability to surprise us every time, always makes us await his newest album. His music, a lot closer to chamber formats, is a part of the process of new music, being written by the new musicians of our time (Tawadros turned 36 this year); a process that keeps developing.
Joseph Tawadros was born in 1983 in Cairo, but lived in Sidney since the age of three. He has been based in London for the last couple of years. His first album came out when he was just 21. We have been buying and listening to his albums throughout the past ten years with great pleasure. Of course, the specific sound of the oud – one of the oldest musical instruments, leaves the sensation of a walk through gardens from 1001 nights. But that would only be a superficial conclusion – the composing is contemporary – but eternal at the same time. Each detail is in its place. And Dostoevsky was right – beauty will save the world!
Today we dip into this calm, lyrical, and wise place with a couple of pieces, that Tawadros created for his latest album. This is how the world would look at a lonely coast with massive stars in the sky, in a summer forest – once again with massive stars, in a freshly morning colour or flight. Innocent. Perfect. Words are unnecessary here.
November 2019
Photo©МА
