Andalusian Echo – The Ashdod Andalusian Orchestra

An Andalusian Echo – Eco Andalusi

An Andalusian tradition between piyyut and flamenco

The concert “An Andalusian Echo” brings together two cultural worlds born on Spanish soil: the poetry of the Hebrew Golden Age and flamenco music, which developed centuries later.

At the heart of the evening are piyyutim and sacred and secular poems by the great poets—Yehuda Halevi, Abraham ibn Ezra, and Shlomo ibn Gabirol. Arranged by Manuel Cazas and Elad Levi, the project offers a fresh listening experience of these works, connecting the meters of ancient piyyut with the rhythm and energy of flamenco.

The orchestral arrangements create a lively dialogue onstage: Cazas’s flamenco guitar converses with the orchestral instruments; the cante of Shuki Shweiki meets the piyyut singing of Eliya Moyal; and the dancing of Adva Yirmiyahu and Adi Movdat heightens the drama and tension between the two worlds.

This is a connection that returns the poetry of the Golden Age to its natural setting, allowing the Spanish-flamenco language and ancient Hebrew piyyut to be heard together, as part of a single shared origin.

Participants:

Manuel Cazas: guitar, arrangements

Adva Yirmiyahu: dance, choreography

Adi Movdat: dance

Yehuda “Shuki” Shweiki: flamenco singing

Eliya Moyal: piyyut singing

Conducting: Sivan Albo

Artistic direction: Elad Levi