In this concert Lebanese musician and composer Marcel Khalife and Al Mayadine Ensemble present the debut composition of Mahmoud Darwish's later poetic work, which is a moving reflection—part autobiography, part lyrical elegy—by one of the most transcendent poets of the Arab world. Khalife has been a stupendous presenter of the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish, an urgent poetry that lends itself well to Khalife's lyrically molded compositions and vocal, yet tender and reflective virtuosity. The distant refinement of Khalife's musical presence, the clarity of his instrumentation meshes well with the clairvoyance of Darwish's poetry and balances the tempo of the political reality that underpins and anchors its imaginative outpouring. 

Darwish composed this later work at the apex of his creativity, but with the full knowledge that his death was imminent. In stunning language, Darwish’s self-eulogy inhabits a rare space where opposites bleed and blend into each other. Prose and poetry, life and death, and home and exile are all sung by the poet and his other. 

Marcel Khalifé: Composer, Oud Master and Performer was born on June 10, 1950 in Amchit, Lebanon. He studied the Oud (the Arabic lute) at the Beirut National Conservatory of Music and graduated in 1971. From 1972 to 1975, Marcel Khalifé taught at the Beirut National Conservatory of Music, public Universities and other local private music institutions. In 1976, he established Al Mayadine Ensemble. In June 2005 Marcel Khalifé was named UNESCO Artist for Peace for his artistic achievement and humanitarian contributions.

For more information, visit http://www.alwanforthearts.org/event/823