DeutschIncense of Music 34
A multisensory concert – Friday, 3 May 2019, 8 pm
Mohannad Nasser: oud
Mevan Younes: buzuq
Ayman Hlal: violin
Incense: Laurel, Dammar
PANDA Theater in der Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstr. 97, 10435 Berlin
It is a special honor for us to present at Incense of Music 34 the trio Younes (buzuq) / Nasser (oud) / Hlal (violin). We will burn laurel and dammar for the occasion.
For people who are sensitive to smoke, this event is not recommended.
Artists
Mohannad Nasser — oud
Syrian oud player and composer Mohannad Nasser has developed into an innovative musician through years of experience performing. His compositions have been described by audiences as "delicate, cheerful, and magical." His deep desire to share his conception of music led him to complete his master's project, "Contemporary today, Heritage tomorrow," at the renowned Berklee College of Music. At Berklee, Mohannad performed the piece "Mediterranean Sundance" with internationally acclaimed guitarist Al Di Meola. His musical vision is rooted in traditional Arabic music with a strong flavor of Oriental heritage. Mohannad's journey with the oud began during his studies at the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus, where he deepened his knowledge of traditional Oriental music while also exploring classical Western music. Over the course of his career, he expanded the oud's possibilities by adapting it to various musical styles, including classical music, jazz, Brazilian music, and flamenco. In 2015, like most Syrian artists, Mohannad faced harsh, daily danger due to the conflict in Syria and moved to Lebanon, where he became a music educator. He was trained by several international organizations offering music lessons to refugee children — an experience that inspired him to encourage the next generation of musicians to find their own voice. In 2017 Mohannad released the debut album of his Oumi Ensemble, "Imaginary Dance," and launched his solo project "L'Oud Whispers." He has received several prizes at international oud competitions and performs his music around the world.
Mevan Younes — buzuq
Born in the multicultural city of Al-Hasaka in northern Syria, Mevan Younes has specialized in a traditional oriental instrument: the buzuq. His musical education began at the age of seven under his father, through whom he first learned mainly Kurdish music. He later continued his training at the Damascus Higher Institute of Music, completing his studies in 2011 under Professor Askar Ali Akbar — during which time he also began working as a buzuq teacher. Mevan is a member of the Syrian Arab National Orchestra and has appeared at numerous events, including the Morgenland Festival in Osnabrück and the Roskilde Festival in Denmark. International engagements have taken him to countries including Turkey, Tunisia, Ghana, Kurdistan, Denmark, France, and Germany. Since 2015 Mevan Younes has lived in the greater Berlin area, where he continues his musical development and remains active in various bands and ensembles, including the Ugarit Trio and the Berlin Orient Ensemble.
Ayman Hlal — violin
Ayman Hlal is a violinist and composer. He studied music education at Al-Baath University in Homs, Syria. He experiments with a wide variety of musical styles, including Oriental music, flamenco, and jazz. He plays with various orchestras and bands, including "Orphe" (Orient-world music) and Azulio (flamenco music), and served as concertmaster of the Nai Orchestra in Vienna.
Incense
Bay laurel is an evergreen shrub or small tree native to the Mediterranean, capable of reaching up to ten metres in height. Its glossy, leathery dark-green leaves carry a bold, spicy aroma and contain essential oils with anti-inflammatory properties.
In ancient Greece, laurel was sacred to the god Apollo. According to legend, the nymph Daphne was transformed into a laurel bush by her father, the river god Peneus, to escape Apollo's pursuit — Apollo then wore a wreath of laurel branches in mourning for his unrequited love. Wreaths woven from its branches went on to crown the victors of athletic and poetic competitions, and victorious Roman generals entered the city crowned with a laurel wreath (corona triumphalis); Roman emperors later adopted the same symbol. The tradition still echoes today — in the English title "poet laureate," in Germany's highest sporting honor, the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt (Silver Laurel Leaf), and in the Laureus World Sports Awards. In the Bible, laurel is often an emblem of prosperity and fame, and in Christian tradition it symbolizes the resurrection of Christ.
Burned as incense, laurel gives off a warm, spicy-resinous scent with a faint, sweet sharpness. The dried leaves are traditionally burned to energetically clear a space and create a focused, ceremonial atmosphere — a scent associated with clarity and a certain sense of dignity.
Dammar resin is harvested from large tropical rainforest trees, most notably in the genera Shorea, Hopea, and Canarium, native to Southeast Asia, particularly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. The tree Shorea wiesneri is considered its most important source, though numerous other species yield the resin too, ranging in colour from clear and pale yellow to the dark, blackish-grey Sumatra dammar. The resin exudes from the bark as a protective response to injury and hardens into tears or lumps with a characteristically glassy, shell-like fracture — unlike many other resins, it barely darkens with age, which may be the source of its name, thought to derive from a Malay word meaning "tear," "light," or "torch."
Beyond its use as incense, dammar has historically served as a raw material for varnishes and lacquers, and remains valued today in art conservation, where its clarity and protective qualities are used to seal paintings and wooden objects. Across Southeast Asia, burning dammar has long been part of cleansing rituals intended to clear the atmosphere and invite positive energy.
Burned, dammar releases a bright, citrusy scent with notes of lemon and lime, underscored by a warm, faintly vanilla-like sweetness and a clean, resinous undertone that recalls fresh sap rather than deep, aged wood. It is considered a "lighter" resin compared to frankincense or myrrh, and blends well with other resins to add a bright top note to more complex compositions.