Album: When Paths Meet Vol. 2 by Sami Yusuf
Album Description
Sami Yusuf’s Message:
I’m thrilled to share with you my new album, ‘When Paths Meet’ (Volume 2). I wrote these works as a way of gathering and connecting the amazing love, wisdom and beauty that’s at the heart of world music traditions. The ‘When Paths Meet’ concert series is born from the belief that there are patterns of perfection in traditional art, and that these patterns have a power that’s needed to counteract turmoil and chaos at an essential level. In the Paris concerts we brought together music and musicians from France, from West and North Africa, from the Middle East and Central Asia, and from China in ecstatic dialogue. From the intricate geometry of the Baroque form, to haunting mughams of Azerbaijan, to the meditative sounds of the West African kora and Chinese erhu, it turned out to be a stunning collaboration. When you listen, you’ll see how brilliant these musicians are. They turned my vision into a reality. I couldn’t be more grateful to them.
I’ll have more to say in the coming days. For now, I want to thank the stellar musicians of The Scoring Orchestra Scoring Productions – Scoring Orchestra, The Métaboles Les Métaboles, and The Sami Yusuf ensemble. Each one of you has my endless gratitude. Thank you to the virtuoso soloists and specialist musicians: vocalist Nabyla Maan, Eléonore Fourniau on vocals and hurdy gurdy, Ballake Sissoko on kora, Guo Gan – The Master of Erhu 国际二胡大师-果敢on erhu, Antoine Moriniere on classical guitar, Loriane Llorca on the organ, and Nicolas Mackowiak on harpsichord.
And I send out huge thanks to Edouard Fouré Caul-Futy from the Philharmonie de Paris who did so much to make this event happen, Alain Weber for his instrumental role, and Nicolas Glady from Taklit Productions for his exceptional work. I also thank the Astiana team who did an amazing job bringing everything together.
I’m grateful to the many, many people not named here but who also made this second in the ‘When Paths Meet’ concert series possible. And to the audience on those magical nights in Paris who brought so much love and passion to the majestic Philharmonie. You made it unforgettable. With love. SY