An orchestral reflection on human resilience, the music weaves breathing and heartbeat motifs through the ensemble as microtonal colors inspired by Arab maqamat gently reshape familiar harmonies, expressing a sense of being alive today.
Premiered by: Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Alpesh Chauhan
Venue: Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California
Commissioned by: Los Angeles Philharmonic Association with generous support from the Esa-Pekka Salonen Commissions Fund
We’ve learned in the very recent past that life itself is more fleeting and precious than most of us realize. This has drastically changed our everyday behavior: from where we choose to live, to where we choose to work, to how we prioritize what’s important in our lives. Throughout all this change our bodies have not stopped for a moment to keep us alive. We’ve continued to breathe and our hearts have continued to beat. Aysheen (عايشين), or “living” in Arabic, is a celebration of that resilience, an homage to our current time. The work begins with the percussion introducing its two central motifs: the tam-tams “breathing in and out” and the bass drum thumping a “heartbeat.” The rest of the orchestra trades these breaths and heartbeats throughout the remainder of the work, forming a collective, functioning body. In terms of the musical vocabulary, I use the framework of the Arab maqamat to create new aural arguments. For example, I have “retuned” the major chord that we, as Western listeners, have heard countless times in the symphonic repertoire, opting to replace its “third,” which is emblematic of that triad, with a pitch that exists about halfway between the black and white keys of the piano. For me, this sound represents a shift in our new reality, the new “normal” of what living is like today.
“…headlined by Hilary Hahn, but mostly enlivened by Saad Haddad’s cinematic Aysheen in which the composer stretches conventional Western harmonies with a gentle, masterful hand leavened with Eastern influences.”
“Superbly paced and brilliantly played, the music gathered briefly before what seems like a false ending unintentionally but understandably elicited a short burst of applause. As the music resumed, the heart finally stopped beating, and the silence returned. After which the audience were doubly ready to stand and cheer.”
— Bachtrack
