Someone tell me about Marcel Khalife

sedoniaraqs · 11-28-2007, 01:28 PM

He has a ton of albums on maqam.com

Is it eastern in essence? East-west fusion? Looks like alot of it is orchestral; would this be considered post-romantic classical music, in the same sense as that of Debussy, Rachmaninov, etc.? Some of it has the same flavor (but this is based on listening to a few 30 sec clips) Is it all secular or is some religious in nature?

I realize that most/all of this isn't going to be dance music, but I'd like to get started exploring his music; I just have no idea where to start. What are his seminal or most important compositions?

Sedonia

cathy · 11-29-2007, 03:21 AM

I just got two of his CDs, have listened to each only once through:

1) Taqasim, which he is touring now.It's in 3 parts each about 20 minutes, all of them with him on oud, Peter Herbert on double (stand-up) bass, and Bachar Khalife (his son) on percussion. Kinda movie score sounding, east-west-jazz-but not in a bad way. No lyrics. I am a little mystified at the choice of the album title because these are neither instrumental solos and nor improvised. Must be using some other sense of the word.

2) Promises of the Storm--5 songs ranging from 6:43 to 11:34. I think these songs are all lyrics of the poet Mahmoud Darwish. Translations for all songs provided (don't you wish they ALL had that?) Very different from the first one.

Neither one is danceable in my opinion.

Sorry I have barely even dipped a toe in but it's something.

Cathy

sedoniaraqs · 11-29-2007, 01:25 PM

Thank's Cathy.

Yes, I have gathered that his music is much more towards the western classical realm, which interests me because I"m trying to step up my knowledge of western classical music. So the "Taqsim" album isn't taqsim? I was thinking of getting that and the Andalusian Suite.

However, I once had a video of the dancer Meleea (sp?) from Iowa who danced to an oriental piece that was credited to Marcel Khalife, and that piece was definitely danceable. It was on the first conference on Middle Eastern dance videos from the 90's (the one featuring Mona Saiid and Amani). Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I traded off the video years ago and now wish I hadn't.

Sedonia

gypsy8522 · 11-29-2007, 08:07 PM

Sedonia,

I don't know which oriental piece you're referring to, all I know is that Marcel Khalife has created many oriental dance pieces as he has worked with some of the well known dance troupes in Lebanon such as Caracalla and Rimah. Marcel Khalife is one of the most respected artists in Lebanon and the Middle East, he's also admired by Arabic communities around the world. He's a Lebanese native but the palestinians take him to be one of them, since his most popular songs were written by Mahmoud Darwish, a palestinian poet. A lot of Mahmoud Darwish's poems are about his childhood in palestine and the reality of living under occupation. Marcel Khalife is considered a symbol for nationalism and resistance, his songs aren't religous, but they are for the most part patriotic. So, if you're pro-Israeli by any chance, Marcel Khalife is probably not the best choice for you.

Taqasim is the name of his album, but it doesn't contain any Taqsim pieces in it, I don't think so.

sedoniaraqs · 11-29-2007, 10:57 PM

Thanks, Gypsy. Can you recommend any of his albums in particular? There are 22 at maqam.com. I don't know where to start. That is the problem.

Marcel Khalife

Sedonia

gypsy8522 · 12-05-2007, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sedoniaraqs

Thanks, Gypsy. Can you recommend any of his albums in particular? There are 22 at maqam.com. I don't know where to start. That is the problem.

Marcel Khalife

Sedonia

Sedonia,

I am not a Marcel Khalife fan. I know he is a great artist and all, but I just don't like his style of music. Maybe there is someone outthere who is more knowledgable about his music albums who can answer you question better. Sorry, I couldn't be much help

Good luck choosing an album though.

11-28-2007, 01:28 PM	#1 (permalink)
sedoniaraqs Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: cultural wasteland of the midwestern US Posts: 574	Someone tell me about Marcel Khalife He has a ton of albums on maqam.com Is it eastern in essence? East-west fusion? Looks like alot of it is orchestral; would this be considered post-romantic classical music, in the same sense as that of Debussy, Rachmaninov, etc.? Some of it has the same flavor (but this is based on listening to a few 30 sec clips) Is it all secular or is some religious in nature? I realize that most/all of this isn't going to be dance music, but I'd like to get started exploring his music; I just have no idea where to start. What are his seminal or most important compositions? Sedonia

11-29-2007, 03:21 AM	#2 (permalink)
cathy Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brooklyn, New York Posts: 424	I just got two of his CDs, have listened to each only once through: 1) Taqasim, which he is touring now.It's in 3 parts each about 20 minutes, all of them with him on oud, Peter Herbert on double (stand-up) bass, and Bachar Khalife (his son) on percussion. Kinda movie score sounding, east-west-jazz-but not in a bad way. No lyrics. I am a little mystified at the choice of the album title because these are neither instrumental solos and nor improvised. Must be using some other sense of the word. 2) Promises of the Storm--5 songs ranging from 6:43 to 11:34. I think these songs are all lyrics of the poet Mahmoud Darwish. Translations for all songs provided (don't you wish they ALL had that?) Very different from the first one. Neither one is danceable in my opinion. Sorry I have barely even dipped a toe in but it's something. Cathy

11-29-2007, 01:25 PM	#3 (permalink)
sedoniaraqs Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: cultural wasteland of the midwestern US Posts: 574	Thank's Cathy. Yes, I have gathered that his music is much more towards the western classical realm, which interests me because I"m trying to step up my knowledge of western classical music. So the "Taqsim" album isn't taqsim? I was thinking of getting that and the Andalusian Suite. However, I once had a video of the dancer Meleea (sp?) from Iowa who danced to an oriental piece that was credited to Marcel Khalife, and that piece was definitely danceable. It was on the first conference on Middle Eastern dance videos from the 90's (the one featuring Mona Saiid and Amani). Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I traded off the video years ago and now wish I hadn't. Sedonia

11-29-2007, 08:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
gypsy8522 Moderator Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 558	Sedonia, I don't know which oriental piece you're referring to, all I know is that Marcel Khalife has created many oriental dance pieces as he has worked with some of the well known dance troupes in Lebanon such as Caracalla and Rimah. Marcel Khalife is one of the most respected artists in Lebanon and the Middle East, he's also admired by Arabic communities around the world. He's a Lebanese native but the palestinians take him to be one of them, since his most popular songs were written by Mahmoud Darwish, a palestinian poet. A lot of Mahmoud Darwish's poems are about his childhood in palestine and the reality of living under occupation. Marcel Khalife is considered a symbol for nationalism and resistance, his songs aren't religous, but they are for the most part patriotic. So, if you're pro-Israeli by any chance, Marcel Khalife is probably not the best choice for you. Taqasim is the name of his album, but it doesn't contain any Taqsim pieces in it, I don't think so.

11-29-2007, 10:57 PM	#5 (permalink)
sedoniaraqs Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: cultural wasteland of the midwestern US Posts: 574	Thanks, Gypsy. Can you recommend any of his albums in particular? There are 22 at maqam.com. I don't know where to start. That is the problem. Marcel Khalife Sedonia