Interview with Kareem Roustom about his album Shades of Night

Acclaimed composer Kareem Roustom speaks about his new album, Shades of Night. Album: Shades of Night By: Kareem Roustom feat. Balourdet Quartet Pre-Order: https://phenotypicrecordings.bandcamp... Roustom’s new collection expands the Western classical repertoire in notable ways, creating rare opportunities to experience Palestinian and Iraqi folk songs in the language of string quartet. Serving at once as a reflection on his multifaceted Arab-Western identity, and on the current tumultuous time for American democracy and the planet, his music observes and transcends cultural borders, allowing us to recognize and connect with one another. Leading with “Four Dances from Clorinda Agonistes,” Roustom crafts a bold new retelling of Monteverdi’s 1638 opera, Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda. He shares: “Unity (We Dance Together)” is based on an Iraqi line dance called Chobi. Though refugees often carry very little with them when fleeing violence, they can carry knowledge and memories of song, dance, poetry, and art. This movement is an homage to both the things that are left behind and those that are carried in the heart.” Learn more and listen at: https://www.phenotypicrecordings.com/...