Lebanese musician Rabie Abu Khalil, along with his band, is currently performing a series of concerts in the UK, starting from the coastal resort of Briton and ending next Sunday at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, according to the London-based al Hayat.
The Lebanese musician who went to Germany in 1978, performed concerts in the UK before, as part of his musical tours in Europe. He was acclaimed by critics for his unique capabilities in combining the lute with the classic and modern western music.
Last year, Abu Khalil crowned his composed pieces with Sabbar al Maarefah which the western music critics described as the strongest project of all Abu Khalil’s previous music works. They considered it as a summary of all what he has written to date and a focus on the ideas which his music conveyed.
In his 10th CD, the Abu Khalil chose to limit his use only to his lute, after he combined in his previous records the east with the west represented by the trumpet and saxophone along with the tambourine cadences and drum beating.
The recent CD includes 13 pieces of music played on the lute. These include Shawerma, Sharab al Tout, A’rous Labneh, Ghantous, Maharah fi Paris, and others.
The musician chose this time to unite with lute that takes listeners to old times and to eastern places, which have not been littered with any western feet.
Middlesex University in London began teaching the music of Abu Khalil who will deliver a series of lectures on it -- Albawaba.com
