Concerto of the Greater Sea by Joseph Tawadros

Concerto of the Greater Sea is the ninth studio album by Egyptian-born Australian, multi-instrumentalist and oud virtuoso Joseph Tawadros.

The album was self-released in February 2012, and won the ARIA Award for Best World Music Album.

Tawadros performs in a range of styles and is renowned for bringing the oud out of its traditional Middle Eastern setting and into the realm of jazz and classical music, often collaborating with notable musicians in these genres.

In Concerto of the Greater Sea, Tawadros draws on Khalil Gibran’s description of the human spirit as ‘a boundless drop to a boundless ocean’. The six movements of the suite composed by Tawadros feature oud, viola, violin, piano and percussion and are interspersed with shorter pieces recorded with the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s full complement of strings.

Tawadros performs on oud, with his younger brother James on req and bendir, Richard Tognetti on violin, Christopher Moore on viola and Matt McMahon on piano.  

Reviews of the album cite Tawadros’ dynamic tonal range, dazzling technique and ease of stylistic integration achieved through his years of collaboration.