‘Knowing One Another’ opened Sami Yusuf’s Beyond the Stars concert at the Dubai EXPO. Composed for the event and arranged for the particular grouping of musicians assembled there, this is the shimmering music, full of yearning and hope, of seekers setting out on a journey of discovery. Inspired by the Quranic verse, “O mankind! Truly We created you from a male and a female, and We created you peoples and tribes that you may come to know one another.” The composition unveils the deep knowing that comes from hearing the music of distant lands, not only in the instruments used but in the way it moves from the pentatonic scale of the first refrain to the harmonic scale of the second refrain to the riveting mugham sections. From Tayyar Bayramov’s stunning mugham solo that foreshadows the treasures ahead, the instrumental piece unfolds in rhythmic melodies moving from santur to tanbur, ney, baglama and erhu, all underscored by the choir’s rich vocalisations. Once onstage, Sami Yusuf delivers a stirring vocal performance in dastagh rast whose grace is matched by its power. The flowing visual effects perfectly reflect the music’s fluidity and sense of movement.