Limelight chats to oud player and composer Joseph Tawadros about the sibling virtuosos in his Band of Brothers.

 

How did the Band of Brothers project come about?

Slava Grigoryan and I were meeting around the musical traps here and there – our  first encounter was with the Australian Chamber Orchestra in 2001. We developed a friendship and decided to collaborate. Our first performance as a foursome – Slava and Leonard on guitar, my brother James on Egyptian percussion – was for a fundraiser for the children of Iraq and things seemed to flow from there.

 

What is it like improvising with a second set of brothers? What do these bonds of family and friendship bring to the experience for you? 

It’s very important to have a strong friendship – we bring this energy to the stage and although we joke around a lot with each other, we take the music seriously and respect each other’s playing. We all share the same vision and listen to similar types of music. Our family parallels and musical upbringings are also very similar.

 

The Beatles’ Blackbird is on the programme. Is it a particular favourite? What does your arrangement bring to the original?  

The Grigoryan brothers...