On April 28, the Faran ensemble from Israel will perform at St. Catherine's Church - a trio of oar, kamancha, and percussion, inviting you to embark on an instrumental journey inspired by nature, in which the landscapes and cultures of the Middle East weave a mesmerizing soundscape that will transport the listener to distant lands.
Without words or language barriers, the ensemble's music tells the musical stories of Persian, Azerbaijani, Arab and Turkish people, and combines them into a new sound. The name of the ensemble Faran means desert river valley - a dry desert bed (Wadi Faran), which fills with water and life in winter, and dries up and falls silent in summer. The ensemble, like a river, crosses three countries, ignoring artificial borders, and nourishes people's souls with music.
Faran encourages listeners to turn to their inner wilderness, full of emotions and feelings, guided by the view that well-performed music is a platform for inner experience and even more – a gateway to a hidden unity through melodies and sounds. As band member Gad Tidhar says, “Music is one of the safest bridges between people.”
The group was formed in 2009 by three musicians who shared similar musical sentiments and values, and quickly rose to fame. Each member of the group creates in his own way, following the unwritten paths of the Eastern melodic scales "maqam", and during concerts all three musicians play a leading role. In Indian classical music, such a performance is called jugalbandi – this is a musical communication where the role of the soloist drifts from one musician to another.
The ensemble has released 3 albums, the last of which, "The Legend of the Ocean and the Moon", will be presented in Vilnius, at St. Catherine's Church, in 2023. It will be an organic journey that will captivate everyone's senses and transport you to another world.