Bachar khalife biography of barack

When oud master and composer Marcel Khalife first found his voice as an artist, in self-imposed internal exile during Lebanon’s unrest in the 1970s, he never guessed his songs, based on the works of the prolific and renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, would ignite imaginations and spread like wildfire across the Middle East and North Africa.

Ever since, Darwish remained a beacon in Khalife’s long creative life, a “second soul” in his breast, even after Darwish’s death in 2008.  A significant part of Khalife’s popular lyrical works use Darwish’s poetry as their basis.

Khalife's sons Rami (piano) and Bachar (percussion) add a strong dynamic pulse and diverse musical elements to their father’s usual elegance. The trio will tour the U.S. this year, thanks to the efforts of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which works, among other goals, to preserve and share Arab heritage with people of all backgrounds. The younger Khalifes' compositions play a prominent role in the tour's program. "We are on equal footing as artists," explains Marcel.

“Many of the listeners who come to our concerts come away with something profound,” reflects Bachar. “They don

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Sounds for a New Golden Age: Marcel, Rami, and Bachar Khalife

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I call to you before speech

I fly with you, holding your waist even before I reach you

how many times can you put my soul’s addresses

in the beaks of these pigeons? And vanish like the distance on the slopes

so that I may realize that you are Babylon, Egypt, and Syria.

     –Mahmoud Darwish, “Andalusia of Love”

 

When oud master and composer Marcel Khalife first found his voice as an artist, in self-imposed internal exile during Lebanon’s unrest in the 1970s, he never guessed his songs, based on the works of the prolific and renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, would ignite imaginations and spread like wildfire across the Middle East and North Africa.

 

Ever since, Darwish remained a beacon in Khalife’s long creative life, a “second soul” in his breast, even after Darwish’s passing away in 2008.  A significant part of Khalife’s popular lyrical works use Darwish’s poetry as their basis.

 

Now, his songs have new questions to pose, new insights to share, in this time fraught with conflict yet ripe with the potential for deeper understanding. On Andalusia of Love, an extended suite contemplating Darwish’s sensual vision of a rene