In Swedish here. but google translate gives a sense that it is a positive review.
Uncategorized
Nice review of “Hot Tea, Mint & Olives” for SSA from Choral Director Magazine
Choral Director Magazine wrote about Roustom’s “Hot Tea, Mint & Olives” for SSA & piano “The meaningful texts and stunning music are worth the effort required to successfully perform this piece.” Read the full article here.
Letter of recommendation from Daniel Barenboim for Ramal for orchestra
I’m honored to be able to share this enthusiastic letter from maestro Daniel Barenboim about Ramal for orchestra work he commissioned from me in 2013; “[Ramal] is a first class score which I highly recommend to be performed many times in the future.” View the letter here.
Malmo Opera to give Swedish premiere of Ramal in 2015
February 11, 2015 Swedish premiere of Ramal for orchestra by the Malmo Opera orchestra under maestro Ralf Kircher. Details here. Ramal was originally commissioned by Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in 2014 and was premiered in Buenos Aires. Subsequent performances by maestro Barenboim and WEDO took place at the Lucerne Festival, the BBC… read more
Great review of ‘Ramal’ for orchestra from Classical Source
“Significantly more intriguing (and impressive) was Kareem Roustom’s Ramal (also from this year), a 12-minute piece that reflects on the violence in Syria… Roustom defies categorisation. Long-breathed melodies vie with radiant harmonies before a suddenly dark Mussorgskian chord clouds the sound-picture. The music has a tendency to congeal into near-consonances, without ever emerging properly into… read more
Reviews of Ramal for orchestra in the NY Times, the Observer & the Independent
There were quite a few reviews from the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra tour this Summer and here the one’s from the New York Times and the London based The Observer and The Independent.
May In The Summer USA theatrical release dates and cities announced
Later this month Cherien Dabis’s warm and beautifully crafted film May In The Summer will have its USA release. Details here. You can hear some of my score for May In The Summer here.
Interview for the Lucerne Festival
The upcoming European premiere of my Ramal for orchestra will take place on 8/17 at the prestigious Lucerne Festival in Switzerland with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. The festival published this interview here.
Review of the Buenos Aires world premiere of Ramal for orchestra
A review of the world premiere of my Ramal for orchestra which was performed by the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and conducted by Daniel Barenboim. The link to the article (in Spanish) is here.
New recording of ‘Hanjale’ for solo cello
Performed by cellist Bryan Hayslett and recorded at Futura Productions in Roslindale, MA [vimeo]https://vimeo.com/101254827[/vimeo] There is an Arabic saying أول الرقص حنجلة (Awal al-raqs hanjale) which translates to “The dance begins with a prance.” Like most such folk sayings, there are often multiple meanings attributed to them. Generally, this saying can be understood to… read more
Pew Center for the Arts Grant Award and announcement of commission
I’m very excited to share the news of a grant that from the Pew Center for the Arts awarded to Philadelphia based Al-Bustan for the Arts. The grant will include funding for two new commissions by my friend and colleague Kinan Abu-Afach and me. Details about the project that will result in new works for… read more
U.K. Premiere of Dabke for String Orchestra June 1st
To all my friends in the U.K. there will be a concert on June 1st at the Great Hall in Dartington to benefit the Shelter Box Syrian Refugee campaign. Under the direction of Oliver Butterworth the programme will include works by Britten, Elgar, the late Syrian composer Dia Succari, Scriabin and the U.K. premiere of… read more