Bright Colors on a Dark Canvas, composer-cellist Naseem Alatrash’s debut album, presents a “musical meditation on displacement, resilience, and the human cost of war.” A concerto for cello, piano, percussion, and string orchestra, Alatrash’s work combines jazz, Arabic music, and western classical traditions. Together, the movements result in a deeply personal and ultimately hopeful composition. I was honored to lead the viola section for this recording.
Behind the Bright Colors on a Dark Canvas
In 2017, Naseem and I first performed together in the Bruno Råberg Quintet in support of Råberg’s Triloka album. Triloka merges Råberg’s love of jazz improvisation, South Indian music, and Swedish melody.
Concurrently, Naseem was combining his own unique influences to create Bright Colors on a Dark Canvas. Originally developed as a suite for cello, piano, bass, and drums, the work also formed his culminating project for his Masters in Global Jazz at Berklee:
From its inception, Alatrash conceived this work as an anti-war, anti-violence message. He further uses his concerto to advocate for human rights and to emphasize the dignity of displaced persons. On Saturday, May 13, 2017, Bright Colors on a Dark Canvas received its premiere at Philadelphia’s Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Additionally, the concert raised funds for the church’s Refugee Resettlement Ministry and provided assistance for local Syrian refugees.
A Palestinian and native of Bethlehem, Naseem Alatrash’s musicianship and messages draw from personal experience. Here, Alatrash performs the third movement in its original form, an elegy for cello and piano:
In the composer’s words: “Lifta — named after a historic Palestinian village — traces the haunting journey of displacement: the weariness of endless travel, the courage required to face the unknown, and the fleeting, bittersweet memories that linger like echoes of home. Moments of serenity are pierced by delicate, transient ornaments that recall voices and places long lost.”
Leaping off the Canvas
Not long after earning his Masters, Naseem began to collaborate with mentor Eugene Friesen to develop an orchestration. In its new orchestral form, Bright Colors on a Dark Canvas premiered at the Berklee Performance Center on May 2, 2019.
Thanks to the Live Arts Grant from the Boston Foundation and the Arab Fund for the Arts and Culture (AFAC), Alatrash recorded his concerto at Boston’s WGBH studios, with Eugene Friesen conducting.
In March 2026, Levantine Music released the record, which also features Chase Morrin on piano and George Lernis on percussion. For more details and a critical perspective, read Paris Move’s review giving this album their highest rating of “A Must / Indispensable.”
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