oratorio for organ by Tarik Benouarka.

(Narâm Legend)

Narâm Legend is an oratorio for organ by Tarik Benouarka.
An original creation and performance with a universal tone,  at the junction of oriental and occidental influences and bringing together classical music and lyrical singing in Arabic and Latin.​
The 1 hour 15 minute performance brings together an organist, two great soloists and a classical choir in a simple, elegant set and stage design using lighting and costumes.​

Videos, photos and music samples

Nere – Saint Eustache Teaser​

Nere-oratorio de T.Benouarka-Teaser enregistrement(​eng​)​

Making off Légende de Nere – St Eustache Paris 2019

The libretto

“The Nere Legend is a hymn to difference, a call for tolerance and an appeal to the hopes of human beings, which echo around the walls. I wanted to compose this piece for the organ, this instrument of accompaniment in both East and West which has borne witness to so much change, to all those moments when history, cultures and music come together” Tarik Benouarka

The theme of the piece is Otherness.

Inspired by a universal vision of humankind, it tells the moving story of Néré, the passer and his muse, the Lady of the Dawn.

Complete strangers, they seek each other out and speak to each other through their songs, which echo beyond the void in a vibrant dialogue that gives the piece its richness and its sense of being both modern and timeless.

THE THEME

The story is set in the time of the first Auroras. In these forgotten times there lived a being whose voice was so beautiful that its sound gave birth to the Light.
This being’s name was Néré.

Néré was ageless. He was the Passer who had the strange power of being able to hold back the Abyss, the river that divided the world into two separate Lands.
Néré’s songs were carried on a wave by the clouds and a path of light appeared, which the people of the two Lands could use, for as long as the song lasted.

This gift might have filled Néré with joy, but there was a price to pay for this miraculous power – great solitude and immense darkness. The half days passed and Néré was always able to banish the Abyss.

Then came that terrible evening when the sky grew suddenly darker than ever, as though darkness wished to claim its power. The young Princess, the daughter of the union between the two Lands, fell into the Abyss and disappeared… Inconsolable and misled by their jealous advisers, the kings accused Néré, who had to flee.

For a long time he roamed the world, casting his despair into the depths of the Abyss, until that dawn when another voice rose up in the distance, changing the Passer’s fate and turning him into a legend.

And so the days and nights of the world were reconciled…

The score

The score is divided into 17 scenes, with Overture and Finale.

It is built around solos and duets in Arabic by two soloists, a tenor and a soprano, Néré and the Lady of the Dawn, sometimes accompanied by a Latin choir representing the People of the two Lands.

Latin and Arabic come together in harmonic and poetic counterpoint, echoing the colours of East and West.

The Author

Tarik Benouarka,

Composer.Librettist.Spectacles and Opera Creator
“Embrace of classical music and arabic poetry”

Born in Algiers , with both arabic and french culture, he started music at the age of 4, influenced by his mother, pianist who made him discover famous classical and arabic composers. After Agiers conservatoire, he completed his learning in France, Paris.

Multi-instrumentalist (piano, the arab lute and percussions instruments), Tarik will be passionate about all contemporary musical forms, building through his experiences his style and symphonist language before entering the opera world in which he expresses all his passions : Music, poetry, song, dramaturgy and all scenic arts.

Poet and playwright, his career is influenced by his double culture, both oriental and occidental that inspires his musical and artistic path.

Some creations examples:

-Days and Nights of the Heart Tree : opera-ballet in arabic
-El Nafas: Opera tragedy in arabic in 2 acts and its oratorio version
-Sinbad, Son of the Wind : Opera for children in arabic
-Endless Story: Musical spectacle in english and arabic
-Music creation of The Wyld, musical show of Thierry Mugler for the Friedrish-Palast in Ber
-Ramâd: Lyrical poems for 2 pianos, a viola d’amore and a voice
-Silencio: Concerto for oboe and orchestra
-Music creation of The 3 Voices Cantata of Paul Claudel: musical theater  

Work in progress

-Djamila: Opera in 2 acts
-Qais Wa Leila: Arabic fresco, Opera

Cast, Staging & Scenography

​The Cast


​The cast brings together two great soloists, a soprano as Dawn and a tenor as Narâm, a classical choir and an organist​.

​The work recording took place in Marseille Sacre Cœur Basilica in april 2016, with Racha Rizk, syrian soprano, Yanis Benadallah, moroccan-hungarian tenor, the organist Christophe Guida and Ensemble Sequentiae choir under Mathieu Bonnin direction.​

The work was created at the end 2019 in Paris, Saint Eustache Church with soprano Dima Bawab, tenor Yanis Benabdallah, organist Christophe Guida and the Philharmonic international Choir (CPI) with conductor Amine Kouider.

​Set and Stage design

Intentionally simple in order to evoke Néré’s world, the stage design makes use of the play of lights and draws on the acoustics and architecture of each venue.

Type of production

​The work was created for the organ alone but can be performed with a symphony orchestra and organ, for opera houses for instance.​

The organ: To perform the piece in places without an organ, such as theaters, concert halls or open-air festivals, we can provide a portable organ system offering high sound quality, which can be amplified to suit the venue.

Creation end 2019 in Saint Eustache Church - Paris

Narâm Legend was created in 2019, on november the 29th in Saint Eustache Church- Paris with the soprano Dima Bawab, the tenor Yanis Benabdallah, the organist Christophe Guida and the Philharmonic International Choir( CPI) with the conductor Amine Kouider.

The creation will be followed by a french tour in 2020-21.

Videos

Nere - Saint Eustache - Teaser
Nere - Saint Eustache - Making off
Nere - Saint Eustache - Yanis Benabdallah Rehearsal

In the press

“Tarik Benouarka performs with originality using the organ as the basis for a grandiose sound architecture imbued with lyricism” Amina – dec 2016

“We were captivating” “A pure moment of grace” “Surprising and carrying” Testimonies Saint Eustache – Nov 19

“An accomplished musical work that testifies to a great mastery of the musical languages of the West and the East” The World in Music by Nadia Khouri-Dagher – dec 16