Ruins (اطلال) is a three-act opera in Arabic, based on the epic 7th-century Arabic poems known as Al-Mu'allaqat, but set in the modern era. The opera reimagines pre-Islamic odes in the contemporary Arab world, as experienced by a young woman forced into exile and separated from her family and lover. The story begins in a refugee camp and follows her treacherous journey across the sea while her homeland is embroiled in war. The music of Ruins incorporates the maqam vocal style, as opposed to lyric singing, in addition to microtonality and improvised elements. Performed by seven singers and an orchestra of 19 instrumentalists from Middle Eastern, jazz, and classical backgrounds, plus analog modular synthesizer, the opera reimagines the modal musical system known as maqam, used in the Middle East and Central Asia, within contemporary operatic frameworks.
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One of very few Arabic language operas, the work challenges operatic form and pioneers new approaches to storytelling, offering experiences from a part of the world rarely represented in a staged musical and theatrical performance.
This is a seated performance. If you require accessibility accommodations, please email boxoffice@nationalsawdust.org.
// This performance is made possible thanks to the generous support of The Endeavor Foundation.
Amir ElSaffar, composer
Amir ElSaffar is an Iraqi-American composer, trumpeter, santur player, vocalist, and modular synthesist, working at the intersections of jazz, Western classical, Iraqi and Arabic Maqam, and electro-acoustic music. Described as “the celebrated trumpeter and composer who explores vital connections between jazz and Arabic music” (NYT), and “The Innovator” (SPIN), ElSaffar has created a unique microtonal language that merges the Arabic maqam modal system with jazz and Western classical harmony. He leads Two Rivers and the 17-piece Rivers of Sound Orchestra, combining jazz and improvised music with the Iraqi and Middle Eastern maqam. He has created works for jazz ensembles, string quartets, mixed chamber ensembles, and symphony orchestras, in addition to leading numerous hybrid projects with Raga, Flamenco, and North African trance music. In his most recent work he incorporates electronic elements, such as analog modular synthesizer. He is also the director of Maqam Studio, a space in Brooklyn that fosters community, innovation, and preservation of the Maqam musical language.
Zahra Ali, librettist
Zahra Ali is a writer, professor, and feminist scholar. Born in Paris to Iraqi refugee parents, she grew up in France, lived in Iraq, and is now based in New York City. She is a professor of Sociology at Rutgers University-Newark, and is the founder of Critical Studies of Iraq. Ali writes about people surviving loss and exile, finding meaning and beauty in rising up against oppression, dictatorship, and war. Ali is also an Iraqi Maqam vocalist, trained by Hamid Al-Saadi, the only surviving master who had the entire repertoire of the genre memorized.