»Broukar«

Live at Sendesaal Bremen

brhCD1604

Ensemble Broukar
Taufik Mirkhan, Qanum

CD release on October 4, 2017.

Available on eClassical, 
Amazon and iTunes.

This CD was made possible through Culture Resource‘s Production Awards Program and SEKu e. V.

Press release

»Testimonials of a rich culture from a devastated country«
(brhCD1604)

Download version

The Syrian Broukar ensemble around qanun player Taufik Mirkhan played the final concert of the first FUNUN festival at sendesaal, which was dedicated to the wealth of Syrian culture beyond war and destruction. »This work is merely an attempt to tell little stories of authentic people and their great legacy that humanity shamelessly failed to protect«, remarks Taufik Mirkhan.

About the music

The Broukar ensemble plays classic Maqam music based on non-tempered scales, as it is wide spread practice in the orient. In addition Broukar has a whirling dervish – not audible on the CD of course, but nevertheless shaping the music in a certain way. He performs the ceremonial dance just in the tradition of the Sufis, i.e. striving for a spiritual communion with God/Allah. It is all about inner peace and serenity, the futility of war in Syria so painfully conflicting with it.

The instrumentation is classic oriental as well including the qanun (a kind of hammered dulcimer), the oud (al oud means wood and you even can trace the archetype of lute in there), the flute nay and oriental percussion like the darbuka – apart from the voice.

About the artists

Broukar (derivied from brocade, a well-know fabric with silver and golden threads woven into silk) was founded in 2007 by Taufik Mirkhan in the Syrian capital Damaskus, thus emphasizing the geographic and spiritual closeness to the ancient silk road. All its members were born and raised in Syria and studied oriental music and western classical music alike. After the war started in 2011 Broukar have been touring world wide performing at international festivals from Taiwan to Vienna und from Borneo to Bremen. In Belgium Broukar started an education program in 2015 to raise the awareness of traditional Syrian music.