Rawdat Al Balabel takes classical Arabic music to a new wavelength

A new weekly series of podcasts showcases classical Arabic music.

Historical and classical Arabic music is now at your finger tips. The Beirut-based Foundation for Arab Music Archiving & Research (Amar) and the Sharjah Art Foundation have teamed up to launch a weekly series of podcasts showcasing the genre's rich history in the region. Launched on Thursday at the Sharjah Art Foundation, the Rawdat Al Balabel is a year-long, weekly series of 30- to 45-minute podcasts that will be available every Thursday from the Sharjah Art Foundation website.

Amar's founder Kamal Kassar explained that most episodes focus on the "Arabic renaissance period from 1903 to the 1930s".

"There is great classical music that came from the area at the time," he says. "Not many people know about that period and I hope with the podcasts they can listen to it and enjoy it."

Kassar says the podcasts will feature different hosts, but the chatter will be kept to a minimum to focus on the pieces on offer.

"This is a great way to introduce people to this kind of music," he says. "Even before the big artists like Umm Kulthum, there was great classical Arabic music that was being produced. We are looking forward to sharing it with many people."

• To download the first episode, visit www.sharjahart.org