Bridgewater Hall
Manchester
England
Man kunto maula
Tere Ishq Nachaya
Naad-e-Ali Par Naad-e-Ali
Dhamaal (Dama Dam Mast Qalandar)
This Bridgewater Hall concert was Abida Parveen's first appearance in the UK for a decade, a much-anticipated event for her many UK devotees. She is regarded as one of the leading singers of Sufi music, a devotional Islamic music which claims to bring its followers to a spiritual ecstasy and a oneness with the Divine. Her appeal also goes far beyond her fans - the critic of the Manchester Evening News wrote of this concert, "As soon as she started singing, Parveen's extraordinary voice transcended language and cultural barriers. Such is the power and strength of this woman's vocal cords you don't need to know about Sufism or understand the languages she sings in to appreciate an amazing gift."
Broadcast 2013-12-27 on BBC Radio 3 "World on 3"