Shira Utfila & Kayhan Kalhor and Erdal Erzincan

The performance of the multi-ethnic local band Shira Utfila and Eastern virtuosos Kayhan Kalhor and Erdal Erzincan will be held as part of the Pocket Globe festival, on Saturday, 12 November at 8 p.m. at the Youth Theatre.

• Shira Utfila (SRB)

The group Shira Utfila was founded in 2000 by Stefan Sablić – singer, oudist, and kanuna player, arranger, composer, theatre director and cantor. Stefan’s diverse interests, as well as his training in Serbia and Israel, contributed to and enabled him to thoroughly and systematically approach the Sephardic musical tradition, as well as the general Jewish heritage and traditions of other peoples who shared the historical, geographical and cultural landscapes of the Balkans, the Mediterranean and the Middle East in the past centuries. Shira Utfila forms a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional ensemble, which draws its inspiration from the diversity and richness of Judeo-Spanish, Ottoman-Turkish, Arab and Balkan musical traditions. They published nine albums – seven folk music ones and two liturgical ones. At the same time nostalgic and so alive, evoking the richness of the Sephardic heritage, the music of the band Shira Utfila preserves the tradition, is creatively refreshing, exploring its rich potential and cultural dialogue with other traditions and providing it to the next generations as a gift and responsibility. The band has toured a dozen countries and collaborated on various projects involving Sephardic music. Shira Utfila passionately combines their knowledge of classical traditions and dedication to their preservation with a good sense of improvisation and fusion. Their specific sound brings a modern approach to the historical legacy. In addition to Stefan, the band consists of Branislava Podrumac (vocals), Aleksandar Jovanović Šljuka (piano), Filip Krumes (violin), Sinan Aćifović (clarinet), Srđan Đorđević (double bass) and Goran Milošević (percussion).

• Kayhan Kalhor and Erdal Erzincan (IRN / TUR)

This concert brings us the music of two virtuosos, imbued with the traditional sounds of the cultures from which they originate – Persia (Iran) and Anatolia (Türkiye). The classical musical traditions of Persia and Ottoman Turkey have much in common. They share an ancient modal system known as maqam, as well as improvisation, which plays a key role in performance. Likewise, the folk music traditions of these two countries have much in common: the similarity of certain instruments and the techniques of playing them, and the techniques of singing in the higher registers, which are so common in mountainous countries and are used by singers throughout this vast area. The music performed by these musicians, Kayhan Kalhor’s kemenche (a type of lyre) and Erdal Erzincan’s bağlama, has its roots in the deep past but is also completely modern. It is predominantly instrumental, which is a departure from the tradition of both cultures in which the singer is the leading figure. Although traditionally sung poetry is an integral part of almost all Middle Eastern music, in this case, the atmosphere of the poetry is conveyed by the sound of the instrument. This more abstract way of conveying emotions and spirituality has always been present in Eastern music. In vocal traditions from the Arab world to Iran and India, the accompanying instrument sought to imitate the nuances of the voice, often repeating melodic phrases or acting as a bridge between stanzas. In terms of spirituality and emotionality, the music of Kayhan Kalhor and Erdal Erzincan is very intense, like a prayer. It strives to bring the listener into its trance-like realm, interweaving ecstatic rhythms with lush melodic phrases. Kalhor and Erzincan often collaborate, and so far, they have released one joint album The Wind (ECM, 2006). The concert at the Pocket Globe festival represents their debut performance in Serbia.

The concert will be held as part of the first World Music Festival Pocket Globe, which brings six extraordinary concerts at the University of Novi Sad (Novi Sad Synagogue / the Youth Theatre), from 10 to 12 November. As part of the concert programme, artists from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Morocco, France, Türkiye, Cyprus and Iran will perform.

Photo: Promo