background
Sami Yusuf writes completely new compositions and arrangements, one track of which can now be seen and heard as a remotely realized world premiere. The melody of the song ONE, he says, came to Yusuf in a dream. He wrote it down as soon as he woke up.
The production of ONE was technically very challenging, with nearly thirty musicians performing in separate studios. The song opens with our choir performing a vocal score reminiscent of Gregorian chant. Moving from Western Europe to the world of Andalusia and North Africa, the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra joins in with sounds of the ney, violin, qanun and percussion, until the dramatic outro seals the ecstatic experience.
The German texts are from the 13th-century Christian metaphysician and sage Meister Eckhart. The Arabic texts are by Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari, the 13th-century Andalusian mystic and poet. The words are connected thematically, both visionaries speaking of the Eternal I and the Unity of vision – one seeing, one knowing, one love.
performed by
Cappella Amsterdam
Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra
Sami Yusuf vocals, piano & barrel bass
Ömer Avci bendir
Eyüpcan Açikpazu ney
Selim Boyaci former
Onur Cicin qanun
Seyed Ali Jaberi tanbour
Seyyed Mohammad Jaberi daf
Seyyed Pourya Jaberi bendir
Kutay Ozcan bağlama
Mahyar Toreihi santoor
