BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
“It is known as the king of all instruments,” Joseph Tawadros says.
“It is top of the hierarchy in the Middle East.”
The musician is talking about the oud – a sort of “plucked cello”. Round, fretless, and capable of quarter tones and unique inflection, Joseph says the instrument allows for expressions which don’t appear on guitar or lute.
“You have to hear it. Over the years, I’ve found confidence that it’s a beautiful and magical sound and it can appeal to anyone – not necessarily someone brought up with that instrument.”
Joseph was brought up with it, though. His parents bought him an oud when he was young. His grandfather played the instrument before him. (He also saw it in played in an Egyptian movie, and thought it looked pretty cool.)
“The oud was very much a link to my heritage. I was born in Cairo and heard some great stories. So I took that on and was very enthusiastic about it.”
His love of the instrument has since developed and now he combines this Eastern instrument with Western musical styles. You can hear this in the world premiere of his Oud Concerto, which he’ll perform with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in the Metropolis New Music Festival. But Joseph doesn’t want you to think the East-meets-West is a cliché: his goal is for audiences to notice “this sounds really good and was meant for the instrument”.
His new concerto builds bridges between these musical cultures “by default”. Written for the MSO, Joseph says it’s a technical work that draws on Baroque styles, blues, and rock. It pushes the musicians – and stretches his own capabilities, too.
“It’s all about having fun; creating a beautiful energy, sharing a tear and a smile with the audience,” he says.
“That’s what the beauty of music-making is: sharing the emotions with strangers and having a connection.”
The work is in a traditional format of three movements: fast, slow, fast. The first is set to be loud, and rapid. The second should give us a breather as it explores sadness and reflection; while the final movement “goes crazy and showcases anything we didn’t showcase in the first movement”.
“I think it’s an intense work. It’ll be a bombardment of emotions, I hope.”
Joseph will also present his arrangement of the Vivaldi Violin Concerto in A minor, facing the challenge of performing music originally written for a Western stringed instrument.
“Not everything works on the oud. You have to be able to identify what works, and that’s with collaboration. You try to bring something new to the instrument, and find different ways of doing things.”
Despite his innovation, Joseph still believes tradition has its place in the oud.
“You’ve got to learn the rules before you break them. You have to come from somewhere. I love traditional music and I still go back to it. It’s your upbringing, it’s nostalgia, it’s your heritage – but it’s also a beautiful learning thing.
“I wasn’t just dropped out of a stalk with my oud. I came from listening, and I wouldn’t be playing if there was no tradition before me.”
Before he performs at the Metropolis New Music Festival, Joseph gives young musicians the four keys to mastering the oud (or, to any instrument, for that matter):
- Passion
You need to have passion, and be unique with what you present.
- Dedication
Dedication is to be able to produce all sorts of things and to play, you really have to spend time on them. It’s about putting in the hours and making it happen.
- Intention
The intention is really important. What you want to give across to the audience, and what you want to give of yourself.
- Sacrifice
At the end of the day, even if you’re not getting work you should be content that you’re able to play an instrument and create music in such a way. It’s not about fame or making money. It’s something that comes as a bonus if all your stars align correctly and you have a good marketing manager. Having a big audience and premiering my own work – it doesn’t get much better than that.
See Joseph Tawadros perform with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as part of the Metropolis New Music Festival. He will play Metropolis #1 at 7.30pm May 4, and Metropolis #2 at 7.30pm May 6. Concerts take place at the Melbourne Recital Centre and feature a series of new works and leading musical figures.
Images supplied.
