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Athene

Zaytoun

Baroque Spiritual Virtuosic Uplifting Dramatic
$18.99

Details

Composer
Johann Sebastian Bach, Honore d'Ambruis, John Danyel, Samuel Danyel, Sayed Darwish, John Dryden, Kha
Artist
Haitham Haidar, Tanya LaPerriere, Sylvain Bergeron, Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, Amanda Keesmaat, Abraham Ro
Format
CD
Label
Athene
Released
Oct 31, 2025
Catalog #
ATH23027
UPC
809730302725

About

Tenor Haitham Haidar's debut solo album Zaytoun (meaning 'Olive' in Arabic) is a captivating collection of beautiful Baroque and Arabic songs, interlaced with poetry and musical improvisations, an exploration of the intersection between Baroque and Arabic music. Whether it be through instrumentation, ornamentation, or vocal production, Zaytoun highlights the natural connections between what we generally view as separate worlds. Haidar pairs Baroque arias and songs by Monteverdi, Purcell and Bach, with the traditional Arabic songs which were his first introduction to music. He has added arabic instrumentation to some of these Baroque standards, and even translated a Bach aria into Arabic, incorporating Arabic style into the Baroque structure. Alongside the music, are three poetry tracks (from Gibran Khalil Gibran's The Prophet) read over beautifully performed oud improvisation by Abdul-Wahab Kayyali. These tracks (prelude, intermezzo, and postlude) help present the music to follow and shape Haidar's narrative of his own immigrant story in the unique intertwining of Arabic and Baroque music. "As an Arab immigrant, life continues to be a journey of exploration of home, of belonging and this musical project encompasses all parts of my identity, allowing them to live and shine within one sphere rather than compartmentalized sections of myself." Haitham Haidar is a Lebanese-Palestinian Canadian tenor highly sought out for his musicality, "standout presence", and sensitive storytelling. He is a proud graduate of Yale's Institute of Sacred Music, McGill's Schulich School of Music, and the University of British Columbia and currently resides in Montreal, Quebec. Haitham is praised for his 'musical and linguistic versatility' and his 'bright' and 'innately lyrical voice' and enjoys performing oratorio, opera, and chamber music across North America, Europe, and Asia. His recordings as a soloist with the Conspirare and Skylark ensembles have received multiple GRAMMY® nominations.

Tracklist 14 tracks

  1. 1 The Prophet: Prelude: On Love 00:58
    Track
    1
    Title
    The Prophet: Prelude: On Love
    Duration
    00:58
    Performer
    Abdul-Wahab Kayyali
  2. 2 Vespro della Beata Vergine, SV 206, "composti sopra canti fermi": Antiphon: Nigra sum sed formorsa (arr. for voice and lute) 03:50
    Track
    2
    Title
    Vespro della Beata Vergine, SV 206, "composti sopra canti fermi": Antiphon: Nigra sum sed formorsa (arr. for voice and lute)
    Duration
    03:50
    Composer
    Claudio Monteverdi
    Performer
    Haitham Haidar, Sylvain Bergeron
  3. 3 El helwa di 03:29
    Track
    3
    Title
    El helwa di
    Duration
    03:29
    Composer
    Sayed Darwish
    Performer
    Haitham Haidar, Amanda Keesmaat, Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, Abraham Ross
  4. 4 Zourouni 02:23
    Track
    4
    Title
    Zourouni
    Duration
    02:23
    Composer
    Sayed Darwish
    Performer
    Haitham Haidar, Abdul-Wahab Kayyali
  5. 5 Madrigals, Book 8 (Madrigali, libro ottavo), SV 146-167, "Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi": Lamento della Ninfa, SV 163: Amor, dicea, e'l pie 03:55
    Track
    5
    Title
    Madrigals, Book 8 (Madrigali, libro ottavo), SV 146-167, "Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi": Lamento della Ninfa, SV 163: Amor, dicea, e'l pie
    Duration
    03:55
    Composer
    Claudio Monteverdi
    Performer
    Haitham Haidar, Amanda Keesmaat, Sylvain Bergeron, Abraham Ross
  6. 6 Oedipus, King of Thebes, Z. 583: Music for a While (arr. for voice and chamber ensemble) 03:33
    Track
    6
    Title
    Oedipus, King of Thebes, Z. 583: Music for a While (arr. for voice and chamber ensemble)
    Duration
    03:33
    Composer
    Henry Purcell
    Performer
    Haitham Haidar, Amanda Keesmaat, Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, Sylvain Bergeron, Abraham Ross
  7. 7 Wa habibi 02:59
    Track
    7
    Title
    Wa habibi
    Duration
    02:59
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    Haitham Haidar, Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, Sylvain Bergeron
  8. 8 The Prophet: Intermezzo: On Joy and Sorrow 01:16
    Track
    8
    Title
    The Prophet: Intermezzo: On Joy and Sorrow
    Duration
    01:16
    Performer
    Abdul-Wahab Kayyali
  9. 9 St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, Part II: Aria: Ruhmaka ya Allah (Sung in Arabic) (arr. for voice and chamber ensemble) 06:53
    Track
    9
    Title
    St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244, Part II: Aria: Ruhmaka ya Allah (Sung in Arabic) (arr. for voice and chamber ensemble)
    Duration
    06:53
    Composer
    Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer
    Haitham Haidar, Tanya LaPerrière, Amanda Keesmaat, Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, Sylvain Bergeron, Abraham Ross
  10. 10 Grief, Keep Within 08:12
    Track
    10
    Title
    Grief, Keep Within
    Duration
    08:12
    Composer
    John Danyel
    Performer
    Haitham Haidar, Amanda Keesmaat, Sylvain Bergeron
  11. 11 Li Beirut (after J. Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez: II. Adagio) (arr. for voice and oud) 04:40
    Track
    11
    Title
    Li Beirut (after J. Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez: II. Adagio) (arr. for voice and oud)
    Duration
    04:40
    Composer
    Fairuz
    Performer
    Haitham Haidar, Abdul-Wahab Kayyali
  12. 12 Le doux silence de nos bois 05:20
    Track
    12
    Title
    Le doux silence de nos bois
    Duration
    05:20
    Composer
    Honoré D'Ambruys
    Performer
    Haitham Haidar, Sylvain Bergeron
  13. 13 Ya Taleen (arr. S. Abu-Khader and N. Abajian for vocal ensemble and cello) 03:18
    Track
    13
    Title
    Ya Taleen (arr. S. Abu-Khader and N. Abajian for vocal ensemble and cello)
    Duration
    03:18
    Composer
    Traditional
    Performer
    Haitham Haidar, Amanda Keesmaat
  14. 14 The Prophet: Postlude: On Death 00:51
    Track
    14
    Title
    The Prophet: Postlude: On Death
    Duration
    00:51
    Performer
    Abdul-Wahab Kayyali