Paths to the Holy - with Syrian singer and oud player, Rebal Alkhodari

A musical journey to spirituality in the East and West

Two artists from the Muslim and Christian worlds meet in concert: The American singer and lutenist, Joel Frederiksen, and the Syrian singer and oud player Rebal Alkhodari, sing and accompany themselves in moving songs from their religious traditions. Together they sing in the language of Syriac, a dialect of aramaic, the „Abon Dbashmayo“ (Lord's Prayer) and they find in religiously ecstatic Sufi and Shaker music and dance a common ground. Parallel stories from the holy books are told: Jubilant singing for Mohammad as he enters Medina and the triumphal "Hosanna filio David" (Hosanna to the son of David) for Jesus as he enters Jerusalem are presented side by side. The two musicians make it possible to experience that, even in the guise of different cultures, we live in the same human world of experience with the same existential questions.

Performers: Rebal Alkhodari - voice, oud | Joel Frederiksen - voice, lute | Michael Eberth - Organ

With Mohamad Fityan and Vladimir Ivanoff on the Sarband Ensemble CD "What the world needs now...". ORDER HERE! we perform a completely different program of secular music. Here some press: "American Joel Frederiksen & Syrian Rebal Alkhodari sing about the power of love. Baroque arias & Arabic art songs, American folk songs & new songs of passion & suffering, farewell, the quest for home."

«There is a lot to discover in the concert: farewell and hope for reunion, homeland and "outland", travels to the horizons, and human warmth. “What the World Needs Now” becomes an impassioned plea for love between human beings. What the world needs now is love, not only for some, but for all - A peaceful fusion of cultures instead of the noise of war.» Robert Dotzauer, www.onetz.de, 31.8.16

«An excellent crossover of times and spaces … Wonderful to experience, how the artists from different origins in this exciting quartet, all living in Germany, found a common third homeland in their music. And their message, that love will overcome all wars - definitely to co-sign.» Antje Doßmann, Neue Westfälische, 1.8.17