On July 26, 2014, Samir Odeh-Tamimi’s new work Mansur for large choir, four brass players, and two percussionists will see its world premiere at this year’s Salzburger Festspiele. In our interview, the composer tells us more about this composition. He also talks about Sufism, improvisation and his experiences in Brazil.

Recently your composition Jarich was performed in Stuttgart. The piece uses the cries of a baby calling for its mother as a key element. The child is separated from its mother through the Israeli borders, and this baby is your mother. What appeals to you about the human voice?
I am particularly fascinated by female voices. These voices evoke many memories in me. They belong to my mother, my aunts, and my grandparents. Their trembling and powerful voices pass on a whole culture.

In Israel you used to play in various ensembles for traditional Arabian music, and you still enjoy improvisation today. How did these experiences have an impact on your work as a composer?
To me improvisation means to spontaneously invent a musical process. When you are improvising nothing can be repeated in the exact same way. If you do not want to bore yourself and your audience, you need to look for variations all the time. As a composer I consciously try to avoid an absolute structure in my works. I have musical ideas which I follow by improvising. While doing so, I am always open to new and spontaneous ideas which eventually might become very important to the work.

Please tell us more about your new work Mansur, which will be premiered at the Salzburger Festspiele. Why did you decide to use texts by Sufi mystic Mansur al-Hallağ (857-922)? What do you find fascinating about Sufism?
I grew up in a family that used to practice Sufism. During my youth I was very fascinated by these ceremonies, but in a musical way, not in a religious way. Up to this day I am still impressed by these rituals, by their archaisms as well as depth, by their level of both ecstasy and concentration.

Many poems by al-Hallağ have a rhythm that makes you dance and float. I am also fascinated by his radical point of view for which he even died.

You grew up in Israel as a Palestinian, you lived in Greece and you are now based in Germany. Your music is performed in European, Arabian, African, and American countries. Where is your home?
I love everything that is foreign. Everything that I don’t know. The foreign has taught and shaped me. The foreign has become a part of me, and I have become a part of the foreign.

At the moment the whole world looks at Brazil because of the football world cup. You had several performances in the country last year. Please tell us something about your experiences!
Brazil is a very big country. You somehow feel a little bit lost. And that is good. The people that came to my concerts listened with great attention. I particularly enjoyed the couples that attended these performances. They were listening to the music body to body, paying very close attention to the music.


Work list