Mohammed Mounir and the Schäl Sick Brass Band

The Egytpian musician Mohammed Mounir gave a concert in Cairo with the Schäl Sick Brass Band from Cologne. Frederick Richter reports on the audience's reaction

While Western audience members at the concert in Cairo seemed irritated when the Schäl Sick Brass Band began to play German brass music, the Egyptian audience was quickly taken with the world music journey offered by the band.

With its vocalists from Kosovo and Iran, the ten-member band played music from Nigeria, Hungary and Serbia, among other places.

The band had already played in Teheran, Beirut and Amman during their Middle East tour. Two days ago they appeared with Mohammed Mournir in Alexandria.

The audience first got into the mood when the Schäl Sick Brass Band used their Rhineland dialect to overlay the Algerian rai tune "Didi" with a love story set in a Cologne supermarket.

Chants for Mounir

The Egyptian fans nonetheless soon made it clear – by whaling Mounir chants – where their sympathies lay that evening. And the Egyptian musician didn 't let his fans down, creating a relaxed atmosphere during his hour on stage.

Mounir's soft and sensitive voice, which he used without musical accompaniment to introduce his songs, was enough to make his mostly young audience in front of the stage get up and dance. His intense body language manifested the extent to which he lives out his emotions through the music.

The spark was quickly transferred to the audience. Others sitting in the rows of the audience also stood up and danced enthusiastically.

Mohammed Mournir 's music is not as accessible as the melodies of his Egyptian pop colleagues such as Amr Diab. But he has nonetheless been one of the most popular singers in Egypt since the 1980s. The depth of his lyrics – songs that encourage his fans to take control over their own lives – and his charisma on stage have earned him a large community of fans.

Praise for the German band

"This German-Egyptian week is a fine thing," Mournir said during his performance. "You know that we are friends. It is a great opportunity to get to know one another." Mournir also appeared with the Schäl Sick Brass Band in Germany in 2000.

After Mournir 's appearance, the twenty musicians of both bands moved into the highpoint of the night: As a finale, they played a few Arabic songs together.

"It was very beautiful, harmonious," said Hayssam, who was among the audience. He praised the German band above all for their contribution to the last song of the night, "Madad ya rasul Allah." This song, inspired by spiritual Sufi music, is also well-known in Europe.

"It was the first time I heard it not only on cassette – and then with a German band. It was probably very difficult for them to play this piece, but they were really able to do it."

Lyrics with a real message

A young Egyptian named Khaled explained Mounir 's great popularity with reference to his special status in Egyptian pop music, in which eternal love is otherwise the main message.

"We like Mournir because he has a real message, a message of peace. We are simply not used to his kind of lyrics. And I think it 's great that with these kinds of concerts he creates a space where cultures mix together."

Frederik Richter

Translation from German: Christina White