Stream: When Paths Meet

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Background

‘I have always perceived a transcendent power in music, a power that can unveil the innermost depths of our humanity. It's how music was always viewed in the wisdom traditions of the past: an awakening, life-affirming essence.’ – Sami Yusuf

It is not easy to capture Sami’s music in a single sentence, as it draws on multiple strands of world traditions. What stands out are his mastery of musical languages, intelligibility and at the same time the sense of mystery to his music. This is a composer who speaks directly from his inner spirituality in a way that reaches an audience of millions.

Passionate musician

From an early age Sami Yusuf’s career has been driven by his passion ‘to express the subtleties of the human spirit through the power of music’. The internationally renowned British composer and musician Yusuf began developing his craft as a child growing up in London, learning to play several traditional Middle Eastern instruments and exploring the tones and modes of the music they conveyed. To his ability to express himself musically within the classical Arabic / Persian maqam system, in his teens he added a fluency with piano and violin as he immersed himself in Western classical music.

Western and Eastern elements

Yusuf’s genre-defining first album incorporated both Western and Eastern elements, and with its release he quickly gained international recognition. Across all of his works the listener perceives a unifying force arising from Yusuf’s belief that traditions throughout the world are beautiful facets of one underlying reality. In recent years, Yusuf’s music has echoed with sounds from Andalusia to India, and his lyrics reflect the wisdom and beauty of mystical poets. Seamlessly weaving together facets of his Azerbaijani heritage together with his European roots, he seeks to draw deep from within these diverse sources to bring about a re-imagining of traditional music for a contemporary audience.

Collaboration across borders

When Paths Meet is a collaboration between Sami Yusuf and his musicians, Cappella Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra. The latter two also worked together during the programme alBahr - Mare Nostrum, which illustrated the extent to which the various music traditions around the Mediterranean Sea are linked to each other. During this collaboration, a special harmony emerged between the Andalusian repertoire, performed by the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra's musical director Ahmed El Maai, and the compelling choral music of Cappella Amsterdam. This connection is clearly heard as wel in their collaboration with Sami Yusuf, When Paths Meet.

Preview

In 2020, when the Holland Festival was postponed due to corona restrictions,Sami Yusuf composed, arranged and remotely produced the piece ONE. It is the first of his compositions for When Paths Meet and it is currently available on all streaming platforms. This production was technically very challenging, with nearly thirty musicians performing in separate studios. Despite the physical distance and different cultural backgrounds, all participating musicians made a profound connection through the music.

Jon Etxabe (tenor at Cappella) says of the collaboration with Sami Yusuf: ‘Sometimes, when you start rehearsing for a new project, you can't yet imagine what the end result will be. In this case, that was extreme. It's crazy to realize that we never got together at the time, that we didn't meet live to make the recording. We we're only together in the video, thanks to technology. And yet we're singing to 13th century mystical texts!'

From its enormous popularity in many countries, it is clear how well that digital collaboration has worked out. It is very promising for the actual physical collaboration that is finally coming to the stage in June.

Sami Yusuf on the collaboration with Cappella Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra: ‘It will be a musical dialogue, a sharing of stories whose beautiful sounds may seem unknown or foreign at times, yet are always intimately connected to the deepest levels of our selves.’