The "Concert of Music and Poetry," performed Sept. 27 in the Earl Wynn Theater at the Carrboro ArtsCenter, was a strong example of how music can illuminate and enlighten. The performance was part of Rumi Festival 2002.
Each year, the event celebrates Mevlana Jelaluddin Rumi, a mystic and poet who lived in Persia during the 13th century. The festival has been hosted by the Rifa'i Marufi Order of America, which is based in Chapel Hill.
Beloved, a world music ensemble created by LuAnne Hightower and David Seidel, performed a combination of traditional and modern compositions. The two co-founders and four other musicians sat in a semicircle -- Seidel played guitar, and the others created rhythm with their simple hand drums.
At times, one of the musicians took a pair of silvery cups and continuously dipped them in a container of water before pouring each one -- the sound of a trickling stream.
Several songs were enhanced by the presence of whirling dervishes, who slowly crept onstage before raising their arms in supplication as they spun in tight circles. Aziz, one of the dervishes, said the devotees use the quick yet controlled movement to deal with the conflict within.
"The vibration of the music and the vibration of the beating of our hearts brings us to that unity," he said.
The whirling is also intended to bring the dancers closer to a divine presence. While Allah was referenced many times during the concert, the mood of the performance would have befitted anyone engaged in soul-searching.
"I think it's a bridge," Hightower said of the music. "Music's like a ladder to the soul."
UNC Professor Carl Ernst, the director of undergraduate studies for the Department of Religious Studies, said followers of the Sufi path take music seriously. He said the ear that hears the sound is more important than the sound itself. The music of Beloved therefore is open to interpretation -- much of Rumi's poetry emphasizes the individualized pursuit of inner peace before advocating peace among people.
