Daria van den Bercken & Abdelkader Benali

Master storyteller Abdelkader Benali and master pianist Daria van den Bercken found each other through their passionate love for the captivating love story of Ali and Nino (1937) by author Kurban Said. This novel, telling the tragic love story of Ali and Nino set against the backdrop of multicultural Baku, is more relevant than ever. Cultural diversity and tribal loyalties stir both the mind and the heart.

Benali and Van den Bercken bring this fascinating world to the theater in an exciting, humorous, and personal music performance. Abdelkader is fascinated by the multicultural societies of the Black Sea, where Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together, where multilingualism was the norm, and where boundless love was experienced. Daria van den Bercken is a renowned master pianist with (family) ties to the region between the Black and Caspian Seas. Ali and Nino represents a musical world that she uniquely conveys through her acclaimed performances.

About the Novel

Ali and Nino is often called the Romeo and Juliet of the Middle East. Ali is a Muslim boy who falls in love with the Christian girl, Nino. He is Azerbaijani, she is Georgian. He is of noble descent, and her father is a businessman. This forbidden love takes place against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution and explores the dilemmas arising from European domination over an Eastern society.

Benali and Van den Bercken bring this fascinating world to the theater in an exciting, humorous, and personal music performance. Abdelkader is fascinated by the multicultural societies of the Black Sea, where Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together, where multilingualism was the norm, and where boundless love was experienced. Daria van den Bercken is a renowned master pianist with (family) ties to the region between the Black and Caspian Seas. Ali and Nino represents a musical world that she uniquely conveys through her acclaimed performances.

About the Novel

Ali and Nino is often called the Romeo and Juliet of the Middle East. Ali is a Muslim boy who falls in love with the Christian girl, Nino. He is Azerbaijani, she is Georgian. He is of noble descent, and her father is a businessman. This forbidden love takes place against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution and explores the dilemmas arising from European domination over an Eastern society.

Benali and Van den Bercken bring this fascinating world to the theater in an exciting, humorous, and personal music performance. Abdelkader is fascinated by the multicultural societies of the Black Sea, where Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together, where multilingualism was the norm, and where boundless love was experienced. Daria van den Bercken is a renowned master pianist with (family) ties to the region between the Black and Caspian Seas. Ali and Nino represents a musical world that she uniquely conveys through her acclaimed performances.

About the Novel

Ali and Nino is often called the Romeo and Juliet of the Middle East. Ali is a Muslim boy who falls in love with the Christian girl, Nino. He is Azerbaijani, she is Georgian. He is of noble descent, and her father is a businessman. This forbidden love takes place against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution and explores the dilemmas arising from European domination over an Eastern society.