Bab'Aziz

Composer Armand Amar is best known for his varied works that depict different cultures very well. This all begins to make sense when you know he was born in Israel, lived in countries like Morocco and India and studied music in different parts of the world. Amar has worked with a lot of world musicians, started a music label, has written some ballets and has scored numerous of films. He composed the music for such films as Amen, Va, Vis et Deviens, L'Enfant Endormi, Le Premier Cri and Bab'Aziz.

The film tells the story of pilgrim grandfather Bab'Aziz who goes on a magical journey through the desert with granddaughter Ishtar, trying to find an unknown location where a very special gathering of the Muslim Sufis order will take place. During their travel, he tells an ancient story of a prince and meets other travelers, who all have their own stories which are connected to their faithful path towards the special gathering.

The film can be described as a deeply moving and philosophical film, and the same can be said about the score. It challenged Amar to do a lot of research. He needed to explore the world of Sufism, which is a mystical movement within the Islam. He studied their poetry from the thirteenth century, their music and so much more things. What's interesting, is that Sufism was supposedly influenced by the Indian culture, Christian's, Gnosticism, but also by a former Islamic group. A lot of Suffis musicians were used for the music, but the sound is so widely orientated, from Arabian to Asian Islamic influences, that it becomes an astonishing experience. He uses singers like the Syrian Hamza Skahur and Turkish Haroum Touboul for several poems and a lot of captivating musical performers by Lévon Minassian , with whom he also explored Armenian music for their collaborative album "Songs From a World Apart".

While using all these wonderful singers and musicians, an orchestra (the Bulgarian Symphony) is often mixed with their sound, providing an even more emotional experience. There are very few film composers who can unite so many different musical cultures like this composer does and in such a sincere way. Bab'Aziz is one of Armand Amar's most moving efforts next to masterpieces such as L'Enfant Endormi (unreleased) and Va Vis, et Deviens.

The score was released by the composer's regular label Naïve France on a worthy 2 discs. The first disc covers his music, while the second disc offers great traditional music by others. Amar's relationship with the people of Naïve is very strong, always offering a lot of space to be involved in the recording and mixing of a release. Until this very day, this has resulted in a series of wonderful releases, which are essential to people who love world-orientated scores.

Tracklisting

CD 1: 48.33
1. Maryam (5.22)
2. Bab Azîz (6.12)
3. Poem of the Butterflies (1.19)
4. Salvacci Denducci Pace (7.16)
5. Zikr (4.59)
6. Poem of the Atoms (2.21)
7. You Created the Night, I Made the Lamp (7.50)
8. Ishtar (1.40)
9. Song of the Red Dervish (2.15)
10. Poem of the Atoms (2.20)
11. Dream of the Palace (2.41)
12. The Wedding (4.18)

CD 2: 48.16
1. You Created the Night, I Made the Lamp (1.20)
2. Ya Habib (11.15)
3. Man O To (1.14)
4. Percussion (1.53)
5. Satara's Solo (1.53)
6. Ya Allah (7.54)
7. Ayan Gorundi (4.19)
8. Song of the Red Dervish (3.35)
9. Song of the Prophet (3.19)
10. Mast E Kanlandar (4.05)
11. Ay Ashegan (4.59)
12. Divana (2.30)