The Oud

Omar Metioui

Omar Metioui was born in Tangiers, Morocco in 1962. He initially studied pharmacology in Brussels, before returning to Tangiers to study solmization, Andalusi singing and oud at the Conservatory of Music and Dance. Between 1976 and 1980 he sang and played the oud with El Arbi s-Siyyar, the main Andalusi orchestra in Tangiers. He is currently first lute with the Conservatory orchestra, and continues to perform throughout Europe and the Arab world.

Andalusi Lute
(Sony SK 60077)

This CD by the Moroccan oud player is on the Sony Classical label. It features improvisations and vocal/oud pieces, each of which is in a particular Andalusian mode or tab'. Although marketed as a lute recording, the instrument used is definitely an oud!

Tab' s-Sika
1. Taqsim 8:00
Tab' al-Hiyaz al-Kabir
2. Bugya 2:26
3. Twisya de la Nuba 2:09
4. Taqsim 4:40
5. Twisya de la San' a 1:53
Tab' al-Istihlal
6. Taqsim 10:00
7. San' as Dary 4:15
Tab' 'Iraq al-'Ayam
8. Kursi Basit 2:21
9. Taqsim 11:00
10. Twishya de la Nuba 2:00
Tab' s-Sahli
11. Taqsim 8:00
12. Muwwal (Show them, haughty and alluring), Ibn al-Farid (1181-1235) 7:35

La Fuente del Amor Secreto
(Pneuma PN 430)

The tracks on this CD are a mixture of solo oud and traditional Andalusian pieces for ensemble, and it also features the oud players Said Belcadi and Hassan Ajyar. As well as his normal oud, Omar Metioui uses the Tunisian ud 'arbi (on track 12), which has four pairs of gut strings tuned to fifths and is played with an eagle quill. The CD is currently available from www.discoweb.com

1. Improvisation in the r-Rasd mode (taqsim tab' r-Rasd) 1:53
2. Instrumental San'a, btayhi r-Rasd: 'Lawlaka ma himtu wayda' 2:13
3. Interlude in the r-Rasd mode 0:43
4. Prelude, twishya quddam r-Rasd 2:48
5. Muwwal Sika mode, 'Laqad Sara Qalbi' 9:46
6. Impovisation in the Hiyaz Kabir mode (taqsim tab' Hiyaz Kabir) 2:38
7. Instrumental San'a, bsit Hiyaz Kabir: 'Tara l-lawza y qala li sahib' 1:20
8. Improvisation in the Mezmun mode (taqsim tab' Mesmun) 4:43
9. Instrumental San'a, qa'im wa-nisf al-Istihlal: 'Al waslu ya mahlah' 2:54
10. Muwwal mode z-Zerga, qasida 'The Pardon' 7:28
11. Prelude, twishya de nuba al-Isbihan 1:01
12. Improvisation in the Raml l-Maya mode (taqsim tab' Raml l-Maya) 2:01
13. Instrumental San'a, qa'im wa-nisf al-Isbihan: 'Ma hla r-rahiq' 4:50
14. 'The Fountain of Secret Love', qasida 'The Pardon' 12:20

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