Before singing the contract for his new CD al Andalos Concerto, the Lebanese singer Marcel Khalifah saluted the large audience and dedicated his CD to the Palestinian people saying, “the proceeds would go to our people in Palestine.”
At the ceremony of signing the contract last Friday in Beirut, Marcel sang poem Mohammed written by the Palestinian renowned poet Mahmoud Darwish in addition to Ajmal al Ummahat (Most Beautiful Mothers) and Ya Hadi al Eis. Also Umaimah al Khalil sang Ahmed al Arabi.
The album is divided into two parts: Andalusian lute playing and orchestra in addition to poems by Mahmoud Darwish, al Hallaj and Adonis.
“What the Palestinian people face is horrible and has come out of the Arabs’ leanness from the beginning. All the weapons which the Arabs own are targeted at oppressing their people leaving the Palestinians defending themselves with their bare bodies. We should move, everybody should move to at least provide moral support for the Palestinians in addition to the financial support. All artists should play their roles in all aspects including the formation art, theater, music, and singing. Artist should perform concerts and allocate their proceeds for the Palestinian people,” Khalifah told the daily al Nahar.
He added, “we offered many performances which were initially for supporting south Lebanon and we even participated in establishing hospitals and health centers. Today the proceeds from al Andalos Concerto will go in full for supporting the Palestinian people.”
“This CD is a glimpse of hope for collective and real work. The importance of this experience lies in its continuity with the future and deep blend between longing, which is about to vanish, and the first dream of al Andalos with all the Arabs’ pains nowadays,” said Marcel adding that the lute as an Eastern music has been marginalized all the time -- Albawaba.com
