Echoes from Damascus: Early Recordings from My Musical Journey
Sometimes, life brings us back to the beginning. During my recent visit to Damascus — my beloved hometown, after fourteen years away — I found an old CD hidden among my things. On it were three recordings I made nearly thirty years ago, when music was still a quiet dream taking shape.
Each of these pieces holds a story — of youth, curiosity, and the deep love I’ve always felt for the music of the Levant. They reflect the essence of my musical heritage: the maqam system, the oud’s voice, and the timeless beauty of melodies passed through generations.
I share them now as fragments of memory, carrying the spirit of my early years as a musician — echoes of Damascus that still resonate in everything I create today.
❝Sometimes, life brings us back to the beginning.❞
Les Premieres Meditations
This is the first piece I ever composed — at the age of thirteen, in Damascus. It was born from my earliest reflections on the oud, the instrument that became my lifelong companion. Later, I added gentle harmonic arrangements for cello and rhythmic accompaniment, enriching the texture while keeping its original purity intact.
This piece holds a very special place in my heart. It was written before any formal study, guided only by instinct and emotion — my soul discovering its voice through the strings of the oud.
Longa Hijaz Kar (Wanis Wartinian)
A journey into memory and heritage 🎶
I recorded this oud piece nearly thirty years ago in Damascus. Earlier this year, after returning home from fourteen years in Kraków, I rediscovered the CD — a forgotten treasure that instantly carried me back to my musical beginnings.
Longa Hijaz Kar, composed by Wanis Wartinian, embodies the elegance and rhythm of the Levant. Its ornamented melody and dynamic flow are rooted in tradition yet timeless in spirit — just like the memories that shaped me as a musician.
Sama’i Nawa Athar (Jamil Awais)
A composition by Jamil Awais, Sama‘i Nawa Athar is among the finest works written in the rare and expressive Maqam Nawa Athar. It beautifully blends classical structure with deep Oriental emotion, revealing the composer’s mastery of subtle melodic transitions.
I recorded this piece about thirty years ago in Damascus — a musical memory that still moves me. Its rhythm and lyricism remind me of why I fell in love with Arabic music: its capacity to speak directly to the heart.