As part of the London Strings Festival, the Veles Ensemble will open the evening of contrast with a true classic: Beethoven’s String Trio Op. 9 No.1 in G-major and then accompanied by Ahmed Mukhtar who will continue the evening presenting Iraqi music with Oud solo’s. He will then be joined by the Veles Ensemble to finish with arrangements of his own compositions. The Veles Ensemble was founded in 2016 by three young successful London classical musicians: Hartmut Richter, violin, Ralitsa Naydenova, viola and Evva Mizerska, cello, all soloists, recitalists and performers in leading London chamber orchestras who aim to explore and promote rarely heard masterpieces and new compositions as well as bringing the classics to life. Ahmed Mukhtar’s music is rooted in the traditional Maqam style and explores the use of the quarter tone in the Arabic Oud. The Maqam is the nearest equivalent to mode in Western classical. Ahmed Mukhtar will offer some of his compositions arranged for Strings by Ignacio Lusardi Monteverde, which will be played by the Veles Ensemble. The unfretted Oud with its delicately flattened intervals can make a dream, gallop or thunder, as well as the desert with the use of silence to a great effect. As Iraqi Middle Eastern Mukhtar’s music lies on improvisation and Taqasim in a great deal of works and forms.