Michel Godard / Ihab Radwan: «Doux Désirs». Präsentation Serpent: Stephan Berger

14/8 Thursday 8:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Villa Serdang

Baselstrasse 1, 4532 Feldbrunnen-St.Niklaus

Let yourself be carried away by the sound jewel of the “singing serpent” and the mysterious tale of the oud during the Solothurn Baroque Days.

Stephan Berger, the world-renowned serpent maker, opens the door to the fascinating universe of serpent. Michel Godard and Ihab Radwan fill this space with their music “Doux Désirs” – a concert that (re)unites old European music with the musical culture of the Middle East. Let yourself be carried away by the sound jewel of the “singing snake” and the mysterious tale of the oud.

In the Swiss Jura, Stephan Berger finds the peace and quiet he needs to build and further develop the Serpent with his craftsmanship and inventive spirit. He not only receives support from the most renowned musicians, he can also count on the help of research institutes and universities. It is played by important musicians all over the world: the SBerger Serpent.

One of the best-known serpent artists is Michel Godard, a multidimensional musician who has mastered the alchemical link between the centuries and musical cultures like no other. A classical tuba player before becoming “the” tuba player of European jazz ensembles, he rediscovers a completely forgotten instrument that he teaches at the CNSM and which happens to be the forerunner of the tuba: the serpent, the “singing snake”. His research into the instrument led him, in close collaboration with instrument maker Stephan Berger, to introduce this mysterious instrument into his compositions and baroque ensembles. Michel Godard studied classical music (trumpet) at the music conservatories in Besançon and Paris and has been teaching serpent in the early music section of the Paris Conservatoire since 2002. Godard is a distinguished European jazz musician who uses polyphonic playing techniques on the tuba, but also plays contemporary and early music and performs in very different ensembles and instrumentations. Unusually, Godard has been playing serpent as well as tuba since 1979.

Ihab Radwan, the composer, singer and oud soloist, studied classical music at the conservatory in Cairo from the age of 5. After a brilliant musical career in Egypt, he settled in France. He organizes and teaches oud master classes, oriental music, Arabic music improvisation and non-tempered scales with quarter tones and 1/9 tones (Coma).

The project “Doux Dèsirs” was recorded in Venice in 2016, released as a CD in 2017 and has since been performed at various festivals in Europe.

Price reduction: Unless otherwise stated, people up to the age of 30, IV pensioners and people with refugee status are entitled to a ticket at a reduced price.