Cowbridge Music Festival Various venues

★★★★★

THERE have been many memorable concerts in the 10-year history of the Cowbridge Music Festival, but few have been quite so poignant as the one that opened the second week of this year’s eclectic celebration.

Called Syrian Dreams, the concert by Damascus-born Maya Youssef was a spellbinding and thought-provoking showcase of the Arabic classical tradition, enhanced by influences of jazz and Western classical and Latin styles.

Good music that will survive through the ages should penetrate the heart and soul and challenge the intellect. Youssef’s music did that but was made all the more powerful due to its immediate relevance to the tragic situation in her troubled homeland.

Youssef spoke eloquently and with deep emotion about the experiences that have given birth to her compositions. But it was the music itself, and the committed and deeply felt way she played it, that spoke with greatest force.

Youssef plays the qanun, a 78-stringed Middle Eastern plucked zither. The myriad sounds she produced, elegantly supported by Elizabeth Nott on percussion and Shirley Smart on cello, certainly conjured up dreamlike images of Arab lands, but it also spoke a universal musical language which left the audience in Holy Cross Church in silent admiration.

She described the piece called Syrian Dreams as a “prayer for peace for Syria and the world.” As with much of the music in this concert, it was infused with a sense of sadness mixed with despair. But the overriding message from the music, including a piece called Breakthrough, dedicated to the “unbreakable human spirit,” was one of hope.

The concert given in Cowbridge Town Hall by the four-man Budapest Cafe Orchestra was full of surprises, not the least of which was that none of its members come from Budapest. In fact, this fine band of musicians is based in Haringey, London, and were clearly delighted to have crossed the toll-free bridge to play in Wales.

There was a good deal of humour in this performance, but what shone through was the brilliant musicianship of each of the abundantly gifted musicians. Leader Christian Garrick is a celebrated jazz violinist, while Eddie Hession is a “supreme accordion champion of Great Britain.” The musical chemistry between the two men was a delight to witness and hear, and the contributions of Kelly Cantlon, on double bass, and the amazing Adrian Zolotuhin, on guitar, saz, balalaika and domra, made for a hugely enjoyable evening of traditional folk and gypsy flavoured music, with some Tchaikovsky and Rodrigo included for good measure.

The festival, which also featured a concert by the Tenebrae Consort and a celebration of Clara Schumann , will end tomorrow (Saturday) at Cowbridge Comprehensive School with a tribute to Benny Goodman by the Julian Bliss Jazz Septet.