A tribute to Farid al-Atrash

The Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra pays tribute to the Syrian singer Farid al-Atrash: the ‘king of the oud’ and a legend in the history of Arabic music. With his deep voice and virtuoso playing, he touched millions of hearts. Farid was known for his melancholic songs about love and loss, with which he expressed emotion in an unparalleled way.

Thanks to Al-Atrash’s recordings and radio performances with the legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum, traditional popular Arabic music took the world by storm from 1950 onwards. Al-Atrash – who, like Kulthum, died in the mid-1970s – wrote more than five hundred songs, mainly romantic love songs. His music lives on as a timeless legacy that continues to inspire generations.