There is magic in his deft fingers and mind

There is a lot of poetic affinity between Faisal Al Sari and his oud, which he held close to his chest. The romance between the two was so evident the moment his fingers began to strike the strings of his oud. It left his audience spellbound at the concert, which was organised as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival last month.

Al Sari is a young, ambitious and dedicated Emirati. His creativity is promising as it is bound by his passion for the instrument. It is obvious that the oud has captured him with its magic — an allure that is irresistible. Yet, the musician is still at a stage of experimentation with lyrics from the region and beyond.

At his concert, Al Sari played the tunes of one of the oldest Emirati folklore songs, reviving old memories and awakening a sweet sensation of bygone times. He had obliged to do so and feed the enthusiasm that filled the air when the audience simply did not stop applauding when he ended his performance.

Throughout the concert, Al Sari held the audience mesmerised by the manner in which his fingers, mind, body and soul swayed to the rhythmic notes of his oud. His oud sounded western as much as eastern. This was a world of imagination that had no boundary and did not recognise anything except creativity and the emotions being channelled across the hall.

In total, Al Sari and his oud together played ten pieces, all combined under the label Synthesis — which is also the name of his recently released first album. Some of the pieces played were composed by other musicians, including Flying Sparrow by legendary oud master Munir Bashir, Romance, a traditional English folksong played for the first time with the oud, and I Wish I Had a Wing by famous oud player Naseer Shamma.

Al Sari also played the soundtrack of the film The Godfather, composed by Nino Rota. But, can the strings of the oud possibly play to the tunes of The Godfather? An eastern instrument laying out the foundations of a western lyric — how can such synergy even be possible? How can the oud act as an umbrella to a rhythm that is intended to be embraced by western instruments?

Perhaps the climax of the night though was when Al Sari played Jazz Rock N Roll, a variation piece he has composed. "It is my attempt, I will try," Al Sari told the audience, as if he were to present a form that is incomplete or perhaps one that is still in the making.

This piece not only surprised and thrilled the audience; it left them in absolute awe. This was a distinctly western flavoured piece, yet one that was brought to life by all the eastern complexities of an instrument like the oud. Undeniably, this was indeed a piece that represented its title.

Dedication

Al Sari began playing the oud in 1986 as he learned the ways of the instrument on his own. He later took professional classes and received formal training from a number of teachers. His first composition was in 1992. In addition, he had worked with various UAE and GCC singers — some of whom have shot to fame across the region.

But Al Sari's journey as a dedicated oud musician started when he enrolled with Bait Al Oud Al Arabi in Abu Dhabi in 2008. He was to train and carry out research as an oud musician under the supervision of one of the well known names in the field; oud player Shamma. Bait Al Oud Al Rabi was established by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage as an entity that focuses on musical instruments that are part of the traditional Arab heritage.

Not only does the institute train prospective musicians, it also requires them to carry out research on the history of this particular area of musical instruments.

Al Sari is a talent who has been able to channel his creativity through an instrument that is hundreds of years old. This is an instrument that requires patience, affection, dedication and love. These traits have to be there in abundance. Without them the oud would be lost, as the hand of the musician has to carry these feelings from his fingers to the strings of the instrument in order for the instrument to respond in a similar way.

Al Sari could be this one passionate musician who would be able to feel the oud as much as the oud touches his feelings.

Yet only with time will Al Sari come to embrace the music that reflects his true soul as a musician and a writer of lyrics. And that will be a moment that is worth the wait for his admirers.