‘Ven Mi Alma’ invites listeners into a stunning musical journey that celebrates the rich history of al-Ándalus. The piece opens with Israel Moro’s vocals, setting the stage for a journey that moves through the soulful call of the ney, the intricate beauty of Antoine Morinière’s classical guitar followed by the fiery spirit of flamenco guitars performed by José Manuel León and Tarik Hilal. As Maqsad Azizov’s balaban enters, it converses with the orchestra in a profound dialogue. Sami Yusuf’s vocals, followed by Nabyla Maan, Ismail Boujia, and Israel Moro, create an ecstatic union of voices, each one distinct yet harmoniously intertwined. As the piece progresses, the balaban and guitars blend seamlessly with Sami Yusuf’s vocals, evoking a dreamlike state that carries the listener through a voyage of introspection and revelation. The culmination of ‘Ven Vi Alma’ is a euphoric musical dance—a powerful dialogue between the full ensemble and the balaban. This climactic exchange embodies the essence of the piece’s title, ‘Ven Mi Alma’ (‘Come, My Soul’), reflecting a call to the depths of the human spirit.

British composer Sami Yusuf’s ‘En al-Ándalus’ is a magical reimagining of Ibn al-Khatib’s muwashshah ‘Jadaka al-Ghaith’. Performed live to an overflow audience at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in Morocco, Sami Yusuf brings this much-loved piece back to its Andalusian and European roots. True to the music that embraces the dream-like lyrics of deep love amid shining stars and rain, the innovative and unitive vision that we’ve come to expect from Sami Yusuf soon leads to a dramatic shift as the voice of flamenco singer Israel Moro adds Spanish lyrics from San Juan de la Cruz’s ‘Dark Night of the Soul’ to the work’s unfoldment. Oud and classical guitar solos give way to flamenco guitar and palmas (rhythmic flamenco clapping). The singular human sound of palmas transports us as the striking vocals of Ismail Boujia seamlessly offer an Arabic mawwal over the passionate beat. Throughout, the luminous voice of Nabyla Maan shines in its intimate interweaving with the vocals of Sami Yusuf. With the electrifying call and response of the outro the circle is complete. Sami Yusuf’s ‘En al-Ándalus’ transforms not only the lyric beauty of ‘Jadaka al-Ghaith’ with its feel of interconnectedness and harmony into a tale for today, it transforms us. We hear in it much more than a story of a golden time gone by. We hear in it the promise of a time to come.

Israel Moro’s powerful cante flamenco interprets poetry of Teresa of Ávila with minimal accompaniment by balaban and guitar, drawing the listeners to the very centre of their being.
“You were raised for love,
beautiful and fair, and thus painted within my being.
If you were to lose yourself, my beloved soul,
you must seek yourself within me.”

Referencing Sami Yusuf’s composition ‘A Dancing Heart’ from his A Timeless Presence album, this breathtaking work delivers a stunning new take from its intensely emotional cante flamenco to its exquisite Moroccan mawwals to its lyrical phrasing of Turkic rhythms and melodies. These mirrored musical themes imbue the piece with a transcendent dimension.
Lyrics are adapted from San Juan de la Cruz, Teresa de Ávila, and Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari.

Filled with longing for a lost love, this is an all-new arrangement of Sami Yusuf’s evocative piece ‘To Guide You Home’. In English and Azerbaijani, the addition of emotional Spanish lyrics and a sweeping flamenco sound bring the longing of the lover for his missing love of the original version to a new level.

Melodic and understated, in this improvised solo by flamenco guitarist José Manuel León each note lands with quiet intensity, like words whispered in a lover’s ear.

Evocative and melodic, ‘La Llave’ is based on ‘Lamma Bada Yatathanna’, an Arabic muwashshah of the Nahawand maqam. The poem is considered one of the most famous Arabic pieces dating back hundreds of years. In this version Sami Yusuf has added English lyrics that tell the story of a search for a mystical key along with a translation of the original poem into lyrical Spanish. The diverse instrumentalists and vocalists each add their touch to the nuanced layers of melody and rhythm, inviting listeners to enter the emotional space whose walls they are weaving of sound.