Album: Beihdja Rahal, In the Mood for the Nouba (Institut Du Monde Arabe)

Rahal studied the Arab-Andalusian musical tradition in her Algerian conservatoire.

That goes back to the time when Spain was a Muslim country: when the Muslims were expelled, their consequent nostalgia became a staple of their poetry and song. And this was truly classical music, with its modes, forms and structures. "Nouba" means "to wait one's turn", which is what each musician – lute, zither, flute, percussion – must do. The poetry is seductive, and so is her voice.