A composition of talent and beauty has emerged, transcending time and tradition - the work of Marcel Khalife, Summer Night's Dream. In his original style, Khalife merges the rich music heritage of the Arab culture with the classical form. To this renaissance of rhythms from the past, the Caracalla Dance Troupe performs its own creation, the popular Arabic ballet. Together these artists have liberated the confines of the early techniques and have given birth to a new genre, one which synthesizes the spirit of tradition and the passion of the new.
Summer Night's Dream represents another milestone in the distinguished career of Marcel Khalife. His first venture toward prominence came as The Marvels of the Prodigy and the Prodigy of the Marvelous (les merveilles du prodigé et les prodigés du merveilleux) which he created for the Caracalla Dance Troupe in 1974 Black Tents (Les tentes noires) introduced a technique that infused the dance and traditional music with a work of innovation. The third ballad, Shot of Glory (Tir de lumière), embodied all of music's aesthetics, particularly elegance. In 1982, The History of All Times (L'histoire de tous les temps) declared a more refined style and undeniable talent.
Inspired by William Shakespeare's rich and strange play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Summer Night's Dream evokes enchantment and surprise. Beneath the romance of the tale flows a stream not just playful or seductive, but one which includes the dimmer
and more melancholic forces of human passion. Add to these the Arabic sensibility, and a new work is born, fertile in magic and imagination, reflecting the diversity of Shakespeare's masterpiece.
We perform this dancing play, not with words, but with all facets of the Arabic artistic heritage of dance, music, singing, spectacular costuming, and a lively theatrical production. This creation illuminates our Arabic heritage, transporting the audience to a world of charm and wizardry, balancing illusion and reality, but not excluding the conflict between the aristocrats, peasants and fairies. A Midsummer Night's Dream is human and universal, expressing the rituals and traditions of the social world, and revealing the mystery and spirit of the soul. Summer Night's Dream escapes time and space through dimensions that embrace the impossible, to a world of magic and a world of joy.
Khalife's music epitomizes the radiance of his humanism, his enormous gift, and great sensitivity. Never static or banal, never surrendering to the established or conventional forms. Khalife's creativity, ingenious compositions, and enthusiasm propelled him to the forefront of Arabic music that has been searching for a long time for innovators. His music not only leads the Arabic cultural renaissance, it also represents new developments that will transform current musical definitions.
