A vibrant fantasy that moves fluidly between Western classical writing and Arabic maqam scales and rhythms, reflecting the composer’s experience navigating two cultures as those musical identities sway, clash, and ultimately coexist.
Kaman Fantasy (pronounced KA-men) takes its name from ‘kamanjah,’ the Arabic word for ‘violin.’ The piece is an exploration of the Arabic ‘maqamat’ (sets of scales) and rhythms in a Western classical context. The music embraces both traditions, often swaying back and forth between Arabic and Western idioms. As a first generation Arab-American, I have often found myself shifting between both cultures in the way that I think and act, sometimes voluntarily, most times not. Kaman Fantasy is a reflection on those experiences. With great gratitude, I express thanks to violinist Basma Edrees and pianist Ava Nazar for bringing the version for violin and piano to life in February 2015 — and to violinist Michelle Tseng, who spent many hours with me workshopping that work before the final double bar. I adapted this work for wind ensemble from its 2014 chamber version, scored for violin and piano.
