For Kanoon, Saxophone, Bouzuki, Trumpet & Actor

Skin Peeled was the first piece that was composed as part of a political project called PATH which is dedicated to a peaceful resolution to conflict in the state of Israel-Palestine. Skin Peeled explores contemporary sound using liturgical & folk Arabic and Jewish music modes. Therefore, sounds in the piece should be familiar to both Israeli and a Palestinian listeners, albeit disturbing and restless, the precise opposite of what this musical genre usually contains.

The piece is divided into 3 movements each of which tells the story of Israel-Palestine while preaching for a political change and a different future for this land. The first movement is composed more traditionally than the others including a lead part for the Kanoon as a traditional symbol of that land. However, the kanoon playing is disturbed along the movement by the rest of the ensemble, a disruption that hints on the corruption that these great traditions are going through. The second movement represents the end of patience and issues the scars that this land contains. The music is played at an extremely loud volume that is irritating the ear, a sound that resembled a human scream. The third movement intends to represent a solution or a utopia, continuing the loud and irritating sound from the second movement, continuing with a diminished volume sound that results to a melody sung without any words. This melody combines together the modes that were hinted throughout the piece into single melody line, that its ethnical origin, whether it’s Arabic or Jewish, cannot be distinct from each other. A melody that contains no words only simple notes that presents the groups’ similarities and calls for their unity.

The piece was performed in front of the American Embassy on Tel Aviv’s promenade on November 29, 2011, Palestinian Solidarity Day, the day on which the borders of the State of Palestine were proposed in 1947.The PATH project brings contemporary art to the street in order to both shock and legitimise the message that aggressive acts will not be tolerate

Score samples

SP mov. II 26-31

The Video