Sounds of the Ancient Orient

The ney is one of the oldest instruments in the musical culture of the eastern Mediterranean. Rifat Varol and Halil Bárcena will be discussing its origin and significance, as well as the spiritual symbolism of its sound in Turkey, where it is associated, as in neighbouring countries with Sufism. After the dialogue, Varol, accompanied by other musicians and by whirling dervishes, will perform classical pieces from the musical repertoire of the Sufi sema ceremony, the name of which means “listening” in Arabic, which include the whirling dervish dance inspired by the 13th-century Sufi mystic Mawlânâ Rûmî.