Musical encounter with the Middle East

The choR inteR kultuR project began a year ago with an introductory rehearsal. With intensive rehearsals and two well-attended concerts in Beirut, it reached its first highlight in April. In the Lebanese capital, the Swiss were welcomed by the choir of the American University of Beirut. In addition to the work and personal exchanges, the ten-day stay also included excursions and a reception at the Swiss embassy, which is acting as a project partner.

In addition to the two choirs, the two Swiss concerts in August will feature the Palestinian singer Reem Talhami, who is widely known in the Arab world, and an oriental instrumental ensemble. With aanilhoub - about love an intercultural choral work by Fortunat Frölich will be performed, combining traditional oriental melodies with European polyphony and harmony.

The Swiss composer Fortunat Frölich is considered an expert on Arabic music. He was a guest lecturer at the Moroccan National Conservatory for several years. In his so-called "intercultural" compositions, he combines the essentially different tonal systems of the Orient and the Occident. "The result is something third - music that has never been heard before," says Fritz Hegi, professor emeritus at the Zurich University of the Arts. Fortunat Frölich's intercultural compositions have already been performed at several international festivals in Africa and Europe, such as the Festival de Rabat, Mawazine Festival (Morocco), Stimmen Festival Lörrach and Zürcher Theaterspektakel.