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Music as a Mission: Marcel Khalife strums the heartbeat of the Arab world
For over two decades the music of Marcel Khalife has linked the Arab world, voicing protest, struggle, cultural ferment and the hopes and daily concerns of the people. His contributions to both Arab and world music have earned him international recognition and honors and awards from many nations including the U.S., Tunisia, Cote D'Ivoire, Germany and Yemen. Cafe Arabica met with Marcel after his performances at the Third Annual Festival of Arab World Culture held September 7 and 8 in New York. Anticipation transfixes the faces in Merkin Hall on New York's Upper Westside. The standing-room-only crowd awaits the entrance of arguably modern classical Arab music's most talented and innovative artist. Amid the thunder of clapping, zaghrouda and cheers, a relatively short, bearded man clad in slacks and a crimson shirt walks onto the stage, his weapon – a simple Iraqi-made oud – in hand. The entry is melodramatic yet simple. For Marcel Khalife, it was just another chance to tell his story. If you ran into Khalife on an elevator, you might never realize his stature as one of today's premier Arabic musical composers and oud players. Modest and soft-spoken, he reminds one of a favorite uncle or the cousin you always looked-up to and hoped to emulate. And it would be a great deal to emulate. Khalife's contributions to the development of the oud, the cornerstone of Arab music, are unrivaled, while his work has unleashed the instrument's potential well beyond its strict traditional technical rules. That power emanates with the first strum of Khalife's oud. As the hall comes to a deafening silence, Khalife enchants the audience with a croon that weeps for the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the Arab soul. He is at once speaking to the heart and mind of the audience, strumming and grimacing at each note's vibration – it is rare for an audience to leave one of his concerts with dry eyes. Then suddenly, he stops, allowing the humming audience to sing aloud in resonant glory, making the music belong as much to the audience as to himself. Everyone is at once part of the storm that is both struggle and healing. Khalife is a revolutionary who has redefined the music of the oud, sculpting Arabic music into an expansive expression stretching across physical and cultural boundaries from Australia and Russia to the heart of Africa. "Every serious and sincere musical work reflects revolution," says Khalife, "the artist is by nature a rebel; one must be rebellious with his writing and creative projects."
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