Music & Arts, Pages 47-48

UCLA Honors Mahmoud Darwish Legacy

IN A UNIQUE two-part program, UCLA’s Center for Near Eastern Studies sponsored a Nov. 5 conference and concert entitled “The Legacy of Mahmoud Darwish,” in honor of Palestine’s foremost poet, who died Aug. 9, 2008.

Prof. Nouri Gana organized the conference, whose participants included Siman Antoon of New York University; Tamim al-Barghouti, Georgetown University; Terri De Young, University of Washington; Abeer Mohammed, UCLA; and Jeffrey Sacks, UC Riverside.

The conference was part of a two-year seminar Professor Gana created in 2007 for 20 graduate students who read Darwish’s poetry in the original Arabic. The first year, 2008-2009, focused on the early works of Darwish from 1960 to 1982. The second year, 2009-2010, examines his poetry from 1982 to his posthumously published piece this year.

The concert in UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall was conducted under the baton of Dr. Sami Asmar, a Jet Propulsion Laboratory astrophysicist, who leads the Turath (heritage) Ensemble.

The unique presentation featured two guest artists, Prof. A.J. Racy of UCLA’s Music Department and local singer and oud player Naser Musa. Musical pieces were interspersed by readings of Darwish’s poems ”The Sustenance of Birds” and “Promises of the Storm” by Deanna Asmar in English and Sami Maalouf in the original Arabic.

The audience clapped in rhythm to Dr. Racy’s flute solo from his composition reminiscent of joyful wedding celebrations in Lebanese villages, and audibly sighed as he performed on the buzuq.

Musa sang two Darwish poems, “Rita” and “Ummi,” popularized by Lebanese singer/composer Marcel Khalife. When Musa rendered his interpretation of these favorites, the audience enthusiastically responded with standing ovations.

A new local talent, Iyad Wehbe, sang the Darwish poem “Passport,” in a song composed by Khalife.

—Pat McDonnell Twair