AMMAN — After a one-year pause, the long-awaited
Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts is back. Participating in its 2021 edition are Jordanian Circassian singer Barina Abaza and Swedish artist Kristin Hagegård.
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They will perform in a concert that will take place on Wednesday, September 29, at 18:30 in the Artemis Theater. Admission is free for all.
Speaking to
Jordan News in a Zoom meeting earlier last week, the two singers expressed their “unconditional love” for singing and their enthusiasm for performing in Jerash in particular.
They said that it was the perfect venue and setting for the kind of music they usually sing and that essentially speaks of folklore, tradition, and cultural roots. In Hagegård’s own words, “we look forward to vibrate with the stones (of Jerash)”.
She added that “some of the songs that we will be singing are as old as these ruins,” and that Jerash was an exceptional place, situated at a crossroads of countless civilizations, as “many have walked this land.”
The two women will be singing in English, Swedish, Danish, Arabic, and Circassian, taking turns at solo acts and performing as a duo.
Among the songs on the setlist is Abaza will perform solo is Fairuz’ Biktub Ismak (I write your name), a popular, poetic title by the Lebanese diva.
Some other songs will tell of Nordic stories and legends, and others of Circassian history and culture.
The two artists share the same approach to the fine art of song, strongly believing that folklore, history, and heritage not only carry an important message but are also forms that are genuine and convey authentic human values.
Some musical genres may come and go, but folk music remains.
Last year Barina Abaza released a classy video on YouTube, titled Medea.
The music was composed by Saeed Bazouqa, a prominent Jordanian Circassian musician who also was one of the main artists who participated in the reference Circassia anthology album project recorded in 2011.
Medea is a good illustration of Abaza’s singing skills, emotional vocal rendition, and of the themes she chooses to work on, whether on her own or with fellow Hagegård: history, heritage, and mythology, in the case of Medea.
In Greek mythology, Medea was an enchantress who helped Jason, leader of the Argonauts, to obtain the Golden Fleece from her father, King Aeëtes of the ancient Abkhazian kingdom.
In July 2020, Kristin Hagegård gave a concert in Amman, at Fann wa Chai cultural space, interpreting an exquisite blend of Swedish, English, and Brazilian songs. Her soft, soothing, well-balanced voice is a perfect match for the repertoire she chooses to sing. She lives in Jordan.
The two singers will be accompanied by a fine set of five veteran Jordanian musicians: Khaled Tawfiq on guitar, Adnan Sorekh on keyboards, Awss Marji on bass, Abed Alfaqir on drums, and Maher Hanhan on percussions.
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