Follow the Lebanese composer, singer and oud master as he is joined by the Al Mayadine Ensemble to trace his career one song at a time, reviving the passion of songs including ‘Rita’ and ‘Oummi’ (Mother), among many others.
Starting as a performer of protest songs, Marcel Khalifé has become one of the biggest popular musicians of the Arab world. Using his position to spread a message of peace and freedom, he has faced blasphemy trials, funded music education in Palestine and performed in bombed-out concert halls, earning him the title of UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2005 for his educational and humanitarian contributions.
Composing music to the works of the most distinguished contemporary Arab poets, notably the poetry of the late renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, his music is characterised by a potent Arabic and Mediterranean pulse running through the inimitable combination of traditional Middle Eastern and Western elements.
Marcel Khalifé’s Al Mayadine Ensemble – which he founded in 1976 - masterfully build up these layers before dropping them away, his delicate vocals ringing around the venue, the audience hanging on his every word. Join in with his rousing choruses and be swept along on his wave of hopeful euphoria.
