The classical music collective, The Sound of Oasis, performed their annual concert on the 15th of December, this past Friday, at Cinema Asmara. This year's performance - the group's first outing since the pandemic - came packed with over 27 pieces, including two original songs.
In earlier years, a classical music concert would have attracted no more than a handful of guests. But now, that perception seems to be gradually changing. The performers have found a comfortable musical niche on the stage, a conducive platform that encourages their musical inclinations and, most importantly, a captive audience. The Cinema Asmara auditorium was completely full, with a good deal of the balconies and boxes above also occupied - mostly, and surprisingly, by youngsters. How did this all come about?
The Sound of Oasis is a classical music project initiated by Alganesh Solomon and Bisirat Desalegn over ten years ago. It has humble beginnings. It all started with home recitals of jovial piano pieces and Christmas carols for family and close friends. The project has since evolved into a formal classical music group - the only one in the country - that puts on a classical concert every year.
Two years after it was formed, The Sound of Oasis was sponsored by Alliance Française and conducted its first performance in 2013. Presently, the project is sponsored by SUKE (Swiss Support for Eritrea), and has been sponsored by them since 2016. Every year, with the exception of the Covid years, The Sound of Oasis has been able to host a classical music concert. These milestones are made possible through the combined efforts of seasoned music instructors, committed project coordinators, and the support and assistance of the Eritrean Musicians' Association. Intimately involved with every aspect of the project, Alganesh Solomon and Rahel Asghedom continue to organize these annual concerts.
In the 12 years that it has been operating, The Sound of Oasis has played a central role in providing a platform for a number of young talents such as singer/songwriter Elham Mohammed, who has gone on to produce a string of hit singles, and classical pianist Noel Araya who, several years prior, was granted a full scholarship to pursue further training in Germany.
The evening's concert consisted of a collection of rich and diverse pieces from an array of composers - with a traditional spin put on the new songs. The choir pieces were arranged and conducted by Mohammed-Saleh Husien Ahmed. The vocalists, I thought, were impressive this year, particularly the female vocalists. Elton John's Can You Feel the Love Tonight was perhaps the evening's most impressive execution.
It is Makda Berhane and Samson Menghisteab - the group's earliest and most skilled members who have themselves become music instructors - who composed the music for The Twins, one of the original songs whose lyrics are a discourse between the titular twin characters Love and Peace.
I was drawn more to the dreamy, emotive compositions Rêverie and Venetianisches Gondellied, both of which were played with much attention paid to the delicate dynamics of the pieces. The strings, though they regained their bearings and sounded cleaner on the more assertive pieces, could use a little refinement.
The Sound of Oasis concerts are coming in for increasingly more attention amongst the general public than they have enjoyed up to now. This year's concert was marvelous. But by the end, the duration was pushing almost three hours. In the coming years, two semiannual concerts instead of one every year would be better fitted to the increasing number of the members as well as the advancing skill levels of the performers and the audience. But only, of course, if it doesn't exceed the project's resources or put a strain on the performers' academic schedules.
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I also think it would be beneficial for both age groups if the younger beginners were to perform in a separate junior event. The older, more advanced students, on the other hand, have to aspire towards more sophisticated concerts. The Sound of Oasis can start designing its program around the works of a single composer or a particular musical period. Staging a solo piano or cello recital is, for example, an excellent way of cultivating a wider repertoire. At the very least, a piece should be performed in its entirety without singling out a movement. These adjustments would have a progressive impact on the students.
Besides, for aficionados of classical music concerts, a whole year is simply too long of a wait.
