Doha: The Oud Makers Exhibition featuring renowned luthiers is one of the main attractions at the third edition of Katara Oud Festival which witnessed a spectacular launch yesterday.
Located in Building 19, the exhibition also highlights finely crafted historical Oud pieces such as the oud of legendary oud player Yorgo Bacanos, who was also a prominent composer of improvisational Ottoman classical music during his time. Manufactured in 1909 by Ilia Kanakis, this oud belongs to the collection of Mehmet Bitmez, who is regarded as one of the world's leading oud performers.
Eight oud makers are taking part in this year's festival including Ibrahim Skkr from Syria, Baris Karatekeli and Mustafa Farouk Turunz from Turkey, Yaqoub Jassim from Kuwait, Yahya Oud, Fatemeh Tahouneh Mousavi, Dimitrios Rapakousios from Greece and Yasir Salih Alawad from Iraq.
A large variety of Oud instruments, with unique style and design are displayed and offered for sale at the kiosks which have attracted Oud enthusiasts and performers who had a rare opportunity to meet and interact with makers of the instruments that they have been playing.
Lectures and forums on Oud making are also being held in the venue as an important element of the festival.
Leading Oud musicians perform at the opening ceremony of the third Katara Oud Festival at Katara Drama Theatre yesterday.
Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara, officially opened the festival in a ceremony featuring a musical show attended by several dignitaries and VIP guests, in addition a large number of Oud lovers from different communities.
In his speech, Al Sulaiti stressed Katara's commitment to host and support arts and culture all over the world. 'The great success the previous two editions of the Oud festival witnessed obliged us to launch the third edition under the theme of 'Al Kindi, the famous Arab philosopher, he said. He added: 'Al Kindi sought to establish this kind of music and here we are now in Katara trying through this four-day festival to open more doors to it as we have gathered here some of the most famous Oud musicians and manufacturers in the world from 13 different countries across the globe, as our commitment to preserve and enhance this authentic cultural heritage.
Mohammed Al Marzougi, Festival Director, said the festival would feature several concerts with 12 musicians performing daily a variety of Oud melodies. He added that since Al Kindi was born in Iraq, the festival's theme was inspired by the rich Iraqi culture and heritage.
The opening ceremony also featured the screening of a documentary film on the famous Arab scholar and philosopher Yacoub bin Ishaq Al Kindi who ‑ besides his important contributions in mathematics, chemistry and physics ‑ played a big role in enriching traditional music. Through the festival, Katara shows it attaches great importance to Oud, considered the most important instrument in Arabic classical music.
Oud is believed to have originated in Central Asia. Some Turkish tribes had been using an instrument called Kopuz which later travelled to the Middle East and gradually transformed into the Oud, as it is known today.
From the Middle East, it later travelled to Spain through Ziryab, the legendary musician of the Arab and Islamic world. Oud is considered the 'father of guitar which originated in Spain. Oud first transformed itself to lute and later to guitar.
There are different styles in playing Oud and the Gulf region has a specific and original style of its own.