Tawahhud, meaning Autism in English, was composed by the renowned Mustafa Said and performed by the Asil Ensemble for Contemporary Classical Arabic Music. The contemporary piece of work will be released on Thursday 12 May with a concert at Al Madina Theatre in Beirut. The 48 minute long piece was recorded featuring 12 musicians using 15 instruments and can be described as being, "Divided into five connected movements in which the musicians often veer out of Maqams into free improvised styles whilst preserving the Modal system."
Yet it is the inspiration that marks this piece out as exceptional. Said was moved by an article written about the isolation and lonesomeness experienced by those who resist "Mainstream thought and discourse," which are similar notions felt by those who live with Austism. Delving into one's psyche, Said has created a new style that is described as; "forging the individual from the collective, the irregular from the disciplined and the frenzied from the wholesome."
