Encounters I for Oud and Piano

Taiseer Elias - oud, Menachem Wiesenberg - piano (2007)

"Encounters I" is my first piece written for the Oud and particulary for the virtuoso Oud player Mr. Taiseer Elias. In this piece I've combined in a kind of confronting dialogue two instruments which represent typically their respective musical tradition: the noble Oud standing for the Middle Eastern heritage and the Piano standing for the Western heritage. I tried to emphasize in each instrument its typical attributes; The plucking and short notes of the Oud against the long sustain notes of the Piano using the pedal, and the linear quality of the Oud line against the chordal more dense texture of the Piano. The piece develops in a kind of free rhapsodic way leaving ample space for improvisation.

Additional performances:

Taiseer Elias - oud, Menachem Wiesenberg - piano (1992)