Joseph Tawadros - The Prophet

 Joseph Tawadros never ceases to amaze and at 26, this young Australian is heading to great heights. With a Freedman Fellowship under his belt, two young Australian of the year nominations, two limelight awards, four ARIA nominations and six albums to his name. He continues to appear at festivals and concert halls throughout the world, dazzling audiences with his brilliant technique, his passionate musicianship and his joyous style of performance.

In his latest release, Joseph goes totally solo in a special recording, transporting us into another world with the magical sounds of the Oud (fretless Egyptian lute). “It is my most important recording to date”, Joseph says. “I’ve been looking for the right time to record a solo album and I believe this recording has come at exactly the right time. It is a vulnerable and transparent body of work which hides none of my emotions and feelings as a musician and person. It really scares me, but excites me at the same time; something which is all apart of the beauty of music making and growth.”

Kahlil Gibran’s much loved book, The Prophet is the inspiration behind Joseph’s 6th album. This literary classic, philosphically addresses topics such as Love, Pain, Work, Reason and Passion, Children and Friendship through poetry, and Joseph has composed music relating to each topic.
“The book was such an inspiring source and I was so taken by Gibran’s comforting views on life. The compositions seemed to flow naturally to me after reading Gibran’s amazing book.” Asked about his book in 1923, Gibran replied ‘It wrote me’. “I feel exactly the same way about these compositions, ‘they wrote me’ and I’ve learnt so about myself as a musician and human.”

It also comes in a very special package too, with a 32 page full colour hard cover book featuring Gibran’s poems accompanying the CD. This album is a remarkable body of work which showcases a young Australian composer of musical maturity way beyond his years. It places Joseph squarely in the ranks of the world’s greatest Oud players and is destined to become a classic in its own right.

Born in Cairo in 1983, Joseph came to Australia at 2 years of age. By the age of 12 he was a seasoned concert performer, playing alongside his teacher Mohamed Youssef. He was encouraged to explore the musical parameters of the instrument and the traditional Egyptian Taqasim, a performing style based on modal improvisation. Tawadros has since developed a truly unique and distinctive personal style, and his compositional freshness and virtuosity are both evident on THE PROPHET.