[Language: French and Arabic]

A true opera blending Eastern and European cultures, Kalîla wa Dimna alternates spoken and sung passages, in French and Arabic.
Libretto by Fady Jomar and Catherine Verlaguet based on the book "KALILA AND DIMNA" attributed to IBN AL-MUQAFFA'. New Production of the Festival D'aix-en-Provence and the Académie Du Festival d'Aix in co-production with the Opéra de Lille, the Opéra de Dijon with the support of the Abu Dhabi Festival.

The opera festival of Aix-en-Provence presented its first Arabic opera, an "ode to freedom", according to its composer, the Franco-Palestinian Moneim Adwan. Opera, an eminently Western genre, has hardly spread in the Arab world, apart from a few attempts in the 1950s, notably in Cairo, he explains. It is therefore an atypical creation, the result of the mixing of several cultures - Palestinian composer, Syrian librettist, musicians and singers from all over the Mediterranean arc, French director - that is born.

The journey of Moneim Adwan, 46, is a saga in itself: born in Rafah in the Gaza Strip in a family of 17 children, he began by learning Koranic chanting, then the classical and popular repertoire. He is now a singer, oud performer and composer.

The collection of animal fables "Kalila wa Dimna" is about how you could change a dictatorial regime without violence, with stories, music and songs," he says. A message for today's world, says Moneim Adwan, who was involved at the time of the Arab Spring with a series of concerts in 2013 in Jordan, Syria and Egypt.

On stage, five musicians and as many singers tell the story of the Lion King and his advisor, Dimna, drunk with power. Dimna introduces the king to the poet Chatraba, who opens his eyes to his people, far from the gilded palace. Jealous, Dimna whispers in the king's ear that Chatraba is fanning the embers of revolt among the people. The poet will be assassinated but "if you kill a poet, he will be reborn in a thousand songs", promises the libretto.

The singers are stars in their countries, such as the Lebanese Ranine Chaar, who plays Kalila, Dimna's sweet sister, or Jean Chahid (Chatraba), finalist of the Lebanese "Star Ac". The lyrics of the opera are in French and the singing in dialectal Arabic. The director Olivier Letellier taught the singers to move, far from the very static Arab tradition. Described in the Algerian daily El Watan as "an Arab meal on a French table", the pocket opera was performed in the small Jeu de Paume theatre in Aix, a perfect setting, where it was well received by the public.

Dimna is an ordinary man, one of many courtiers, but he has dreams of making an impression and becoming a confidante of the king - a butterfly who wants to be an eagle, as the narrator, his sister Kalîla describes him. And the king does have worries. Cut off from the outside world by a protective mother, the king confides to Dimna his fears of the people rebelling, pointing to what he sees as threats in the words of the writing of the charismatic poet Chatraba. When Dimna introduces him to the poet, the king's eyes are opened to the troubles of the world and his people. Unhappy with being replaced in the king's confidence however, Dimna convinces the king that Chatraba is weaving magic in his words to suggest that it is their ruler is to blame for their troubles.

The moral of the story is made clear using animals (the jackal is one of the main predators evoked here) that are traditional to the story's telling, but the narrator also brings in poetic metaphors to warn of the dangers of the outcome of what transpires - "If you burn a vine, a thousand flowers will bloom in its place" or "If you kill a poet, he will be reborn in a thousand songs". The poet Chatraba also evokes the power of words and song, and through them the idea of freedom of expression - "Let's raise our voice so that it can carry our ideas far", he says, but the king fears that "Cries of anger always begin from a song".

When it comes to emotional expression, the strength of Kalîla wa Dimna lies in its appropriate and remarkable use of the singing voice. Kalîla's short narrated interludes are in French, but elsewhere nearly all of the singing is in the traditional Arabic folk style of delivery. It's a style of singing that is every bit effective in its colour and range as the more traditional operatic style. It has a inherent lyricism and storytelling character of its own, but it is also capable of heightening individual sentiments in declamation, as well as finding dramatic drive and harmony in exchanges between characters that complement and weave together.

Directed by Olivier Letellier, the staging at Aix-en-Provence is a marvel of directness and simplicity, one that is totally in line with the nature and expression of the work itself. All the singing performances are impressive, particularly from the composer Moneim Adwan who sings the role of Dimna himself, the singing style allowing for individual expression and dramatic nuance. The same can be said of the musicianship from the small ensemble under the direction of violinist Zied Zouari, which carries the intent of the story and at the same time its sense of wonder. Kalîla wa Dimna might not be opera in the familiar sense, but it is opera in the purest sense.

Direction: Olivier Letellier (Director), Zied Zouari (Music Conductor)
Cast: Kalîla (Ranine Chaar), Dimna (Moneim Adwan), The King (Mohamed Jebali), The King's Mother (Reem Talhami), Chatraba (Jean Chahid), Violin (Zied Zouari), Cello (Yassir Bousselam), Clarinet (Selahattin Kabacı), Qanûn (Abdulsamet Celikel), Percussions (Wassim Halal)