Hardi Kurda is a composer, improviser, sound artist from Kurdistan who researches the concept of 'urgent listening': becoming aware of sounds that are always present but mostly ignored, even to the point of trying to listen to smells or silence. In this podcast, he invites the audience to practice this kind of listening, with an extended composition specially made for this podcast, using his extensive catalogue of field recordings. Kurda is also jury member for the Gaudeamus Award 2026.
Watch an interview with Kardi Kurda by Jonás Bisquert about his podcast: https://youtu.be/cdNWMXgIBGU
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Hardi Kurda is a composer, improviser, sound artist from Kurdistan who researches the concept of 'urgent listening': becoming aware of sounds that are always present but mostly ignored, even to the point of trying to listen to smells or silence. In this podcast, he invites the audience to practice this kind of listening, with an extended composition specially made for this podcast, using his extensive catalogue of field recordings. Kurda is also jury member for the Gaudeamus Award 2026.
Watch an interview with Kardi Kurda by Jonás Bisquert about his podcast: https://youtu.be/cdNWMXgIBGU
Taqsim journey: appreciating temporal aspects in ‘Ud improvisation
Gaudeamus | Podcast Curious Ears
42 minutes 11 seconds
4 years ago
Taqsim journey: appreciating temporal aspects in ‘Ud improvisation
Nizar Rohana is a Palestinian ud player and composer based in The Netherlands, distinguished for combining virtuosity within fresh contemporary compositions while maintaining the ud’s authentic language. In his podcast for Gaudeamus, he unravels the relationship between improvisation and composition in taqsim (Arabic improvised music), focusing on temporal aspects of taqsim and on the historical inventions by ud pioneers like Munir Bashir.
Full list of musical fragments played in the podcast:
1. Riyad al-Sunbaṭi, taqsim hijaz
2. Simon Shaheen, Taqasim on the Beat
3. Nizar Rohana, taqsim nahawand
4. Salih Abd al-Hai, mawwal: adhak men al-fum
5. Muhammad al-Qasabji, taqsim nahawand
6. Muhammad al-Qasabji, taqsim bayati
7. Riyad al-Sunbati, taqsim nahawand
8. Munir Bashir, taqasim nahawand kabir
9. Nizar Rohana, Mufradat Nahawand
Production: Soundtreks / Michiel van de Weerthof
Curator: Jonás Bisquert
www.gaudeamus.nl
Gaudeamus | Podcast Curious Ears
Hardi Kurda is a composer, improviser, sound artist from Kurdistan who researches the concept of 'urgent listening': becoming aware of sounds that are always present but mostly ignored, even to the point of trying to listen to smells or silence. In this podcast, he invites the audience to practice this kind of listening, with an extended composition specially made for this podcast, using his extensive catalogue of field recordings. Kurda is also jury member for the Gaudeamus Award 2026.
Watch an interview with Kardi Kurda by Jonás Bisquert about his podcast: https://youtu.be/cdNWMXgIBGU
