Safa
Nizar Rohana - 2024
Recording: Fieke van den Hurk
Mixing: Bishara Khell
Mastering: Andreas Balaskas
For Nizar Rohana, the oud has been part of his life as long as he can remember. He grew up to the sight and sound of his father with an oud in his hands. At family gatherings, his father would play, often accompanied by his mother on Darbukah or whatever percussion instrument was available.
On Safa, the acclaimed Palestinian oud player presents his third full-length album, and the first focused purely on solo oud performances. It is his most refined and intimate release to date - a reflection on his life’s journey with the oud, and where those snaking paths might lead in future.
“Safa has multiple meanings in Arabic. The primary one for me is purity - but it also could mean fineness, clearness, or lucidity. While it is easier to ‘impress’ with a bigger ensemble, I find recording a solo album more challenging. It is as up-close, as intimate, and as personal as it gets. Pure and revealing.”
With his new album Safa, Nizar Rohana can comfortably be proclaimed as one of the most profound and engaging masters of the oud in the contemporary scene. He not only carries forth the torch of the Palestinian oud tradition, but also weaves together the legacies of Egyptian, Iraqi and Turkish traditions of oud, and Arab classical music.
Video and audio at the same time. One album - 3 days. The very last recording made in my old studio.
