Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Discography

Marcel Khalife 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, and, ever since, has been injecting a new life into the oud.

From 1972 to 1975, Marcel Khalife taught at the Beirut National Conservatory of Music, public Universities and other local private music institutions. During that same period, he toured the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and the United States giving solo performances on the oud.

Oud playing was traditionally constrained by the strict techniques that governed its playing. Highly talented and skillful musicians such as Marcel Khalife were, however, able to free the instrument from those constraints and thus greatly expanding its possibilities.

In 1972, Marcel Khalife created a musical group in his native village, Amchit, with the goal of reviving its musical heritage and the Arabic chorale. The first performances took place in Lebanon. 1976 saw the birth of Marcel Khalife's Al Mayadine Ensemble. Enriched by the previous ensemble's musical experiences, Al Mayadine's notoriety went well beyond Lebanon. Accompanied by his musical ensemble, Marcel Khalife began a lifelong far-reaching musical journey, performing in Arab countries, Europe, the United States, Canada, South America, Australia, and Japan. Marcel Khalife has been invited several times to festivals of international fame such as: Baalbeck, Beit Eddine (Lebanon), Carthage, El Hammamat (Tunisia), Timgad (Algeria), Jarash (Jordan), Arles (France), Krems, Linz (Austria), Bremen (Germany), Re Orient (Sweden), Pavia (Italy), World Music Festival in San Francisco, New York, Cleveland (USA), Wellington Music Festival (New Zealand) and the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in Morocco and the Kennedy Center Arabesque Festival in WDC.

Khalife has performed in such prestigious halls as the "Palace of Arts" in Montreal, "Symphony Space" and "Merkin Concert" in New York, "Berklee Theatre" and "New England Conservatory" in Boston, the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, "Royal Festival Hall", and "Queen Elizabeth Hall" in London, "UNESCO Palace" of Beirut, Cairo Opera House (Egypt), "Reciprocity", "House of the Cultures of the World" and "UNESCO Hall" in Paris, "Central Dionysia" in Rome, "Yerba Buena" in San Francisco, "Sodra Teatern" in Stockholm, "Bozar" in Brussels, Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam, Konzerthaus in Berlin, "Detroit Symphony Hall" in Detroit, "Sydney Opera House", "The Arts Centre" in Melbourne, Australia, “The Champs Elysees Theater” in Paris and the “Teatro Alla Scalla Milano” in Italy. He has also composed several purely instrumental works like The Symphony of Return, Sharq, Concerto Al Andalus- Suite for oud and Orchestra, Arabian Concerto, Mouda'aba (Caress), Diwan Al oud, Jadal oud duo, oud Quartet, Al Samaa in the traditional Arabic forms and Taqasim, duo for oud and double bass which was awarded the Grand prize of the prestigious Charles Cros Academy in France in November 2007. One of his recent works, Sharq, a choral symphonic composition was performed by the Italian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Piacenza Choir. His latest work, “Arabian Concerto”, premiered at the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra inaugural concert and was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the Champs Elysees Theater in Paris and “Teatro Alla Scalla Milano” in Italy and the Royal Albert Hall in London, all under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel.


Marcel Khalife's compositions have been performed by several orchestras, notably the Kiev Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of Boulogne Billancourt Orchestra, The San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestra of the city of Tunis, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Italian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra and the "Absolute Ensemble" and the Italian Symphony Orchestra.

Since 1982, Marcel Khalife has been writing books on music that reflect his avant garde compositions and the maturity of his experience. He published Al Samaa, a collection of compositions for various traditional Arab musical instruments (1981), a six part methodology for the study of the oud (1982), and Arabic Music-Theory and Practice (French Edition, 1984), Jadal oud Duo (1996), OUD (1997), Andalusian Suite for oud and Orchestra (2002).


His challenges, however, are not only musical in character. Interpreter of music and oud performer, he is also a composer who is deeply attached to the text on which he relies. In his association with great contemporary Arab poets, particularly Palestinian poet par excellence, Mahmoud Darwish, he seeks to renew the character of the Arabic song, to break its stereotypes, and to advance the culture of the society that surrounds it.

Marcel Khalife's lyrical and instrumental recordings add up to more than 20 albums and DVDs, Promises of the storm (1976), Rain Songs (1977), Where from, do I Enter the Homeland? (1978), Weddings (1979), At the Borders (1979), Stripped Bare (1980), Happiness (1981), The Bridge (1983), Collections – 3 Albums (1984), Dreamy Sunrise (1984), Ahmad Al Arabi (1984), Peace Be With you (1989), Ode To A Homeland (1990), Arabic Coffeepot (1995), Jadal oud Duo (1996), Magic Carpet (1998), Concerto Al Andalus (2002), Caress (2004), Voyageur DVD (2004), Taqasim (2007), Sharq CD & DVD (2007).

Since 1974, Marcel Khalife has been composing music for dance which gave rise to a new genre of dance, the popular Near Eastern ballet (Caracalla, Sarab Ensemble, Rimah, and Popular Art Ensemble). His compositions for dance include The Marvels of the Prodigy (1974), The Black Tents (1978), A shot of Glory (1980), The Taming of the Shrew (1981), Echoes (1981), Summer Night's Dream (1992), Alissar, Queen Of Carthage (1997) and Andalusia (2000).

Marcel Khalife has also been composing soundracks for film documentaries produced by Maroun Baghdadi like Kamal Jumblatt (1976), The Martyr (1977), All for the Homeland (1978), Whispers (1979), and Maarouf Saad (1979) by Samir Zaki. He also scored music for fiction film The Half meter Incident (1981) and The Box of the World (2003) by Ousama Mohammad. His published music has also been used in Hollywood produced films like East West (2006) and Rendition (2007) and also used in independently produced films like Driving to ZigZigland (2006) by Nicole Ballivian and Me, the Other (2006) by Mohsen Melliti. Marcel Khalife's works has been critically acclaimed both in the Arab World and worldwide. His creativity, innovations and his educational and humanitarian concerns and contributions to the promotion of arts and Culture in the Arab world has earned him tens of awards in the Arab World and Internationally. Upon his receipt of the National Palestine Medal for Arts and Culture in 2001, Khalife contributed the financial part of the Award to the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Palestine. The Conservatory has since established in his name an annual music competition under the title of The Marcel Khalife National Music Competition grants young gifted musicians financial support for their continued music education. Following are some of the awards and recognition that Marcel Khalife has received throughout the years.


Cultural and Artstic recognition Award of the Tunisia Ministry of Culture- 2012
The Intellectual Merit and Achievement Medal – Fez, Morocco 2008
Charles Cros Award (World Music category) – Paris, France 2008
World Lebanese Cultural Union Medal- Beirut, Lebanon 2008
Cultural Movement Award- Antelias, Lebanon 2008
Freemuse Ambassador- Copenhagen, Denmark 2007
UNESCO Artist For Peace- Paris, France 2005
The Lebanese Cedar Medal- Presidential Award, Lebanon 2005
The National Palestine Medal- Palestine, 2001
Algerian Ministry of Youth Award- Algiers, Algeria 1984
South Lebanon Cultural Council- Lebanon 1984
Arab American University Graduates- USA 1982
Arab American Community Center for Social and Economic Services (ACCESS) Dearborn, USA 1982
Lebanese Ministry of Tourism- Beirut, Lebanon 1981
The Jerusalem Medal- Beirut, Lebanon 1981
The Cultural Achievement Award- Tunis, Tunisia 1980
The American Folkloric Festival Award- USA 1975
The Arab Music Foundation Award- Tunis, Tunisia 1974

On his journey, Marcel Khalife invents and creates original music, a novel world of sounds, freed of all pre-established rules. This language elevates him to the level of an ambassador of his own culture and to the vanguard of Arabic music in search of innovators.

In June 2005 Marcel Khalife was named UNESCO Artist for Peace for his artistic achievement and humanitarian contributions.

In 2008, Marcel Khalife was worked with the Qatar Foundation and was instrumental in the establishment of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO) and was named as its artistic director (2008-2010) and resident composer. He is also a member of the Board of Governance of the QPO.

(Source : http://www.marcelkhalife.com)

 


Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Wouod Al Asefa وعود العاصفة

01 Promises of the Storm
02 Passport
03 Mother
04 Rita
05 Birds of the Galilee
 
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Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Salamun Alayki سلام عليك

01  Dewdrop 
02  A Child 
03  Poems Grow 
04 Poem To The Earth 
05  Peace Be With You
06 Salute Of The Traveller 
07  Homeland Of The Martyrs 
08 I Love You More 
09 Pigeouns' Coo 
10  The Anthem

HERE

Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Ya Mahla Nurha يا محلا نورها
 

01 Enshrouded 
02 Roses For You 
03 Dreamy Sunrise

04 Land Of The South 
05   Call Of The Rooster
06  Walking Tall 
07  Bird Of The South 
08 I Chose You, My Homeland 
09 Beirut - Pictures In Black And White

HERE



 

Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Tosbehona ala Watan تصبحون على وطن

01 Ode To A Homeland 
02 You Were On My Mind 
03 My Home 
04 Anthem Of Bread And Roses 
05 Childhood 
06  Afraid Of The Moon 
07 Dance Of The Gypsies 
08 Praying For Him

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Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Helem Laylat Sayf حلم ليلة صيف

01 Overture 
02 Beautiful Girl 
03 Capricio Orientale  
04 The City's Sadness 
05 Where The Sun Rises  
06  Magic
07 Tango For My Lover's Eyes
08 Kohl
09 Dance In The City Square
10 The Queen's Processions
11 The Vendors
12 Twilight
13 Dance Of The Harem " I "
14   Dance Of The Harem " II "
15  King Of Times Past
16  Madness
17   Bridal Procession " I"
18   Bridal Procession " II "
19  Salutation




HERE




Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة & Al Mayadine الميادين - Rakwat arab ركوة العرب
 

                                        



01 Arabic Coffeepot 
02 After All That Happened 
03  Sing A Little, O Birds  
04 Young Beauty 

05 Oh My Father, I Am Yusif  
06  Passing Beauty  
07 Oh What A Country 
08 Coffee Trees


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Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Jadal Oud Duo    جدل
 

                                   


01  1st Movement 
02  2nd Movement 
03  4rd Movement 
04  4th Movement

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Marcel Khalifé & Mahmoud Darwish - Ahmad Al Arabi أحمد العربي  


                                           


01 Hands Of Thyme And Stone 
02 Let The Siege Come 
03 The Wedding (Instrumental) 
04  Ahmad Emerges From The Ancient Wounds  
05  I Am Arab Ahmed 
06 Let The Siege Come 
07 My Song  
08 Ahmad Counts His Limbs 
09  Ahmad Awaits 
10 Resist  
11 Among Small Details
12 Haifa Started Here 
13 Rise To Your Dream 
14 Rise 
15 We Shall Remain 
16 Ahmad The Refugee Camp 
17 Ahmad The Wind 
18 Go Deep 
19 You Will Die Near My Blood 
20 Oh Arab Ahmad  
21 Curves Of Autumn 
22 Ahmad My Brother

 HERE



Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Besat al reeh بساط الريح   


                                    


01  Mare 2:15
02  Dance Of The Scarves 3:25
03  Shrine 4:12
04  Dance Of The Priestesses 4:04
05 Love Duet 1:18
06 Alisar's Escape 6:19
07 Al-Bahrah 6:12
08 Muwashahaat 4:34
09 Departure From Granada 1:36
10  Reconquista 2:59
11  Horsemen (Dabke) 4:37
12  Spirit Of Dance (Finale)


HERE


Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Al Jisr الجسر

01 The Bridge 
02 Returnee 
03 Departure Of The Venders 
04 The Violins 
05 Madonna 
06 The Kafiyyas  
07 Beirut, Our Star 
08  Invade 
09 The Qanoun Player


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Marcel Khalife  مارسيل خليفة   -   Concerto El Andalus كونشرتو الأندلس

01 Al Zagareed  
02 Flamenco 
03 Bint Al Chalabiyah 
04 Ya Banat Iskindiriyah 
05  Kadouka Al Mayass 
06 Sirto Nakriz  
07 Granada 
08 Waltz Zanjeran 
09  Waltz Tarzanween 
10  Taqasim Hijaz Kar 
11  Longna Nahawand  
12 Finale 
13  I Pass By Your Name 
14  Passing Train  
15  Breeze 
16  Night Traveler 
17 They Say


 HERE



Marcel Khalife  مارسيل خليفة   -   a'l Ard Ya Hakam  عالأرض يا حكم

01 Sunrise (Instrumental) 
02 Street Vendors 
03  Traffic Police 
04 Beirut 
05 Road Noise  
06 I Will Write  
07  Sa'di 
08  Chauffeurs 
09 Salesmen 
10 Sons Of The Sea 
11  Don Quixote 
12  I Shall Name You

HERE



Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - 'alhdoud عالحدود

01Strike (Instrumental) 
02 Children And The Wolf 
03 Mirror Moon 
04 At The Border  
05 The Boy And The Plane 
06 Sparrow
07 On To Beirut 
08 Beirut 
09 Deema 
10 Sleep Little One 
11  Scream (Instrumental)

HERE




 

Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Farah فرح

01 Dream (Instrumental) 
02 Memories 
03  Speak Up  
04  Newspapaer 
05 Mount Barouk 
06  My Land 
07 You And The Song 
08 Your Hands 
09 Happiness (Instrumental)

HERE



 
Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Modaaba     مداعبة 


                                         


01 Caress 
02 Al Hambra 
03 Granada  
04  Tents 
05  With All The Love 
06  Popular Cafe
07 Chaza 
08 Samaï Bayati  
09  Passport

HERE


Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Sharq شرق

01 Sharq

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Marcel Khalife مارسيل خليفة - Taqasim

01 Part One 
02 Part Two 
03 Part Three

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Marcel Khalifé & Mahmoud Darwish - ‎Soqot Al Qamar سقوط القمر 

01 The Pigeons Fly 
02  And We Love Life 
03 The Stranger's Bed 
04 Oh, My Proud Wound
05 Mohammad
06 Houriyeh's Instructions
07 Jahar Kar
08 Now, In Exile 
09 Two Guitars
10 Fall Of The Moon 
11 A Song On My Mind
12 Remember
13 Her Eyes
14 The Poem Of The Land
15 Waltz For Rita's Winter
16 Palestinian Mawwal
17 The Most Beautiful Love
18 In Damascus

HERE
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HERE