Legendary Lebanese composer Marcel Khalife returns to Doha for a world premiere of his latest concerto for oud, organised by Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO).
Khalife played an important role in the establishment of QPO in 2007 and enjoys a huge following not just in the region but across the world. To be conducted by David Niemann, the concert would feature Kinane Adnawi on oud, Rami Khalife on piano besides Marcel’s vocals on April 16 at Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).
Born in 1950 in Amchit, Lebanon, Khalife studied the oud at the Beirut National Conservatory of Music and graduated in 1971, and, ever since, has been injecting a new life into the instrument. Oud was traditionally constrained by the strict techniques that governed its playing. Highly talented and skillful musicians such as Khalife were, however, able to free the instrument from those constraints and greatly expanded its possibilities.
In 1972, Khalife created a musical group in his native village, Amchit, with the goal of reviving its musical heritage and the Arabic chorale. The first performances took place in Lebanon.
The year 1976 saw the birth of Khalife’s Al Mayadine Ensemble. Enriched by the previous ensemble’s musical experiences, Al Mayadine’s influence went well beyond Lebanon. Accompanied by his musical ensemble, Khalife began a lifelong far-reaching musical journey, performing in the Arab world, Europe, the United States, Canada, South America, Australia and Japan.
Khalife has been invited several times to festivals of international fame such as Beit Eddine (Lebanon), Carthage, El Hammamat (Tunisia), Timgad (Algeria), Jarash (Jordan), Arles (France), Krems, Linz (Austria), Bremen (Germany), Re Orient (Sweden), Pavia (Italy), World Music Festival in San Francisco, New York, Cleveland (USA), Wellington Music Festival (New Zealand) and the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in Morocco and the Kennedy Center Arabesque Festival in Washington DC.
The oud maestro has performed in such prestigious halls as the Palace of Arts in Montreal, Symphony Space and Merkin Concert in New York, Berklee Theatre and New England Conservatory in Boston, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London besides others. He has also composed several purely instrumental works like The Symphony of Return, Sharq, Concerto Al Andalus-Suite for Oud and Orchestra, Arabian Concerto, Mouda’aba, Diwan Al Oud, Jadal Oud Duo, Oud Quartet, Al Samaa in the traditional Arabic forms and Taqasim, duo for oud and double bass which was awarded the grand prize of the prestigious Charles Cros Academy in France in November 2007.
One of his recent works, Sharq, a choral symphonic composition was performed by the Italian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Piacenza Choir. His latest work, Arabian Concerto, premiered at the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra inaugural concert and was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC; Champs Elysees Theater in Paris; Teatro Alla Scalla Milano in Italy and the Royal Albert Hall in London, all under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel.
Khalife’s compositions have been performed by several orchestras, notably the Kiev Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of Boulogne Billancourt Orchestra, The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the city of Tunis, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Italian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra and the “Absolute Ensemble” and the Italian Symphony Orchestra.
Since 1982, Khalife has been writing books on music that reflect his avant garde compositions and the maturity of his experience. He published Al Samaa, a collection of compositions for various traditional Arab musical instruments (1981), a six part methodology for the study of the oud (1982), and Arabic Music-Theory and Practice (French Edition, 1984), Jadal Oud Duo (1996), OUD (1997), Andalusian Suite for Oud and Orchestra (2002).
Since 1974, Khalife has been composing music for dance which gave rise to a new genre of dance, the popular Near Eastern ballet (Caracalla, Sarab Ensemble, Rimah, and Popular Art Ensemble). His compositions for dance include The Marvels of the Prodigy (1974), The Black Tents (1978), A shot of Glory (1980), The Taming of the Shrew (1981), Echoes (1981), Summer Night’s Dream (1992), Alissar, Queen Of Carthage (1997) and Andalusia (2000).
Khalife’s works have been critically acclaimed. His creativity, innovations and educational and humanitarian concerns, and contributions to the promotion of arts and culture, have earned him awards in the Arab world and beyond.