EURORADIOSEE offers Afghan musicians world stage

The European Broadcasting Unions (EBU) new video exchange platform, EURORADIO2SEE, will lift the curtain on a musical tradition rarely glimpsed by the outside world when Afghan musicians jam with German masters of jazz on Tuesday 27 August.

The concert, which is the first ever live webcast of traditional music from Afghanistan, will be available to public service broadcasting audiences as part of an exclusive live-video stream from the platform, launched in July.

Specific details of the performance, including its precise location, will remain secret to protect the artists, who have set their passion for musical collaboration above the risks of performing in a country historically known for musical celebration.

During the rule of the Taliban, many musicians fled into exile to avoid harassment; in recent years, a handful of traditional artists have returned to the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) to pass on their skills to younger generations.

This Tuesday, Afghan master musicians and their students will be joined in concert by SAFAR, a trio of young German Jazz players from the renowned Franz Liszt University for Music in Weimar, as part of the Aga Khan Music Initiative.

EURORADIO Project Manager Laurent Marceau says the concert demonstrates musics power to unite diverse groups.

"The observation that music is a universal language that transcends boundaries and bridges cultures is often overworked," said Mr Marceau. "However, in this instance, the phrase almost fails to do justice to the power of this event. With the support of RBB Kulturradio (Germany), EURORADIO2SEE will enable EBU Members to provide their audiences with an exceptional experience, proof that Afghanistans musical heritage lives."

The concert will feature the venerable artist Ustad Amruddin, who is one of a handful of master musicians from the pre-Taliban era who has returned to the country to pass on his knowledge. He plays the dilruba, a stringed instrument played with a bow.

RBB Kulturradio journalist and music producer Johannes Theurer says the performance is symbolic of the joy re-emerging from Afghanistan.

"EURORADIO2SEE provides these brave musicians with a stage to the outside world," he said. "We have the chance to share and support this vision, and express respect for those who want to ensure their musical heritage exists for the next generation."

The concert will be relayed around the world to broadcasters in Germany, Austria, Norway, Spain, Iceland, Slovakia, Poland, Latvia, Australia and on International Broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

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LINK:	http://www3.ebu.ch/cms/en/sites/ebu/contents/news/2013/08/euroradio2se...
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