Zikr

Commissioned and premiered in May 2003 in Gand then in Amsterdam by the Flemish ensemble Ex Tempore and Fadia Tomb el Hage. Zikr, inspired by Selva Morale by Monteverdi, crosses several vocal traditions: from the start of lyrical art, sensual polyphonies of this period, to the Byzantine chant. The women’s voices become a moaning complaint, an echo of the Mediterranean mourners. These “lamentations” start a slow transformation, expand until they end in a rupture, a revolt taking the form of a dance and stirring the pagan background that survives in us. A bass drum, this recurring element in Zad Moultaka’s work, marks the pace of this elevation that inpowers between rebellion and prayer. 

A Tribute to Gerard Veley

set
mixed choir, solo contralto, 1 oboe-English horn, 1 clarinet in si, 1cor in F, 1 trombone, 1 piano (with wooden pencils inside), 1 percussion, 1 violin, 1 viola, 1 cello

percussions
1 bass drum, 3 blades

original version
2S / 2A / 2T / 2B, 1 solo contralto, 1 soprano recorder, 1 alto recorder, 1 accordion, 1 harpsichord, 1 percussion 1 symphonic bass drum, 3 Fa dieze 6 xylophone blades, Fa becare 7, Sol b7