Wishful Singing and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra present: Song of the Sibyl
until 8 January
A foreboding medieval song foretells the end of times. Yet in these dark tones, Wishful Singing and the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra allow something else to shine through: hope.
The performance takes the audience on a journey straight through medieval Spain, from Gibraltar to Mallorca. On the eve of Christmas, a figure dressed in liturgical robes stands at the centre of the church, raises a sword and sings: “On the Day of Judgement, those who have served will be spared.” The image is powerful, the message unavoidable. The title piece, The Song of the Sibyl, is a so-called doomsday prophecy — a warning of what is at stake, delivered precisely at a time of celebration. Sharing its origins with Gregorian chant, the song has endured through the centuries as a living tradition: a fusion of liturgical singing, popular devotion and theatrical performance.
Wishful Singing joins musical …
The performance takes the audience on a journey straight through medieval Spain, from Gibraltar to Mallorca. On the eve of Christmas, a figure dressed in liturgical robes stands at the centre of the church, raises a sword and sings: “On the Day of Judgement, those who have served will be spared.” The image is powerful, the message unavoidable. The title piece, The Song of the Sibyl, is a so-called doomsday prophecy — a warning of what is at stake, delivered precisely at a time of celebration. Sharing its origins with Gregorian chant, the song has endured through the centuries as a living tradition: a fusion of liturgical singing, popular devotion and theatrical performance.
Wishful Singing joins musical forces with vocalist Salah Eddine Mesbah and multi-instrumentalist Hamza Amrani from the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra, as well as oud player Ilias Markantonis, winner of the Oud Competition 2024. The sounds of the oud and the rabab add a rich, melancholic depth to the vocals, while the percussion intensifies the Sibyl’s ominous message.