Classicism Meets Modernity in Maqam Concert at Art House

The band Maqam performed a concert on Wednesday evening at the Art House in Damascus, presenting music combining various classical and modern styles of eastern and western music.The band's performance relied heavily on oriental musical systems that they presented in a neo-classical manner, preserving the essence of traditional oriental music while at the same time giving it more vitality and luster.The concert presented a varied mix of musical styles and compositions ranging from classical rondos to oriental folk tunes to tango infused with Arabic style, in addition to pieces inspired by Indian music, oriental-infused jazz and a number of well-known songs with brand-new compositions.Maqam is composed of Maria Arnaout and Mayas Yamani on the violin, Usama al-Tesi'ini on the cello, Basem al-Jaber on the contrabass and Firas Hasan on drums. In a statement to SANA, Yamani said that Maqam holds its concerts at the Art House because both the band and the location share similar qualities, noting that the venue influences their performance as they change tempo and performance to suit the venue's atmosphere. He pointed out that the band is working to strengthen the Syrian characteristics of their music by cooperating with new Syrian composers.In turn, Arnaout said that the most significant thing about their band is the developing chemistry between the musicians as they get to know each other's style and understanding of music, leading to bringing their different characteristics closer to create a general character for the band.Maqam was formed in 2006 in Vienna by Mayas Yamani and achieved success in Austria and neighboring European countries. The band specializing in oriental and Arabic music presented in a modern, academic and accessible manner while preserving the essence and character of the music.