Songs for Days to Come, the Opera
An opera in one act, fully sung in Arabic
Music by Kinan Azmeh
Libretto by Mohammad Abou-Laban and Liwaa Yazji
Personal Note from the composer:
In most of my life, I have never paid attention to poetry, though in Syria where I come from this art-form is the most celebrated. This changed around 2011 when I started to follow closely what my fellow Syrian contemporary poets were saying in reaction to the Syrian uprising and the war the followed. I was moved by the courage, craft, hope and imagination and I wanted to re-imagine and re-create my own country through the words of its poets while celebrating the Arabic language. This led me to start working on “Songs For Days To Come” an opera in one act, fully sung in Arabic. The title comes from my hope that one day in the future these songs can bear witness.
The plot follows an ordinary man (Sami) in the face of questions about his past, which carries in itself Syria’s recent past. During the questioning process he opens up windows for us to get closer to real life experiences that many Syrians have went through. He recounts for us the different scenarios of life and death. This is not a matter of when, where and how many, but rather: WHY?
This work is inspired by the histories and stories of real people but it is not a historical document, as no single artwork can summarize these tragic years. I have always believed that in order to tell the Syrian story properly, one has to listen to the stories of all 24 millions of Syrians. This is an attempt to remap the country in the darkest of times, and I cannot imagine a better way to do this than to embrace the words of its poets, 15 of them to be precise.
In this work, I am trying to sit with the tragedy and the poets’ reactions to it and reflect and understand. Maybe this is my modest attempt to find some hope within.
Bertolt Brecht once said:
“In the dark times
Will there also be singing?
Yes, there will also be singing.
About the dark times.”
This opera is not only about Syria, but rather about any collective connection with tyranny, war and injustice found everywhere, and our reaction to it. It was created between the years 2015-2022, and it is so meaningful to be sharing this work today: These stories, poems and melodies survived while the dictator is gone.
This work is dedicated to those who continue to sing.
Trailer:
Part of Scene 6:
