Album Notes

"Dangerous...":

This is Charbel Rouhana's latest release (2006). The title of this CD reflects in itself the intricate times the artist is living in one of the most sensitive areas of the world: The Middle East. "Dangerous..." is how Charbel depicts the precarious political, economical, societal, musical and interpersonal spheres. He expresses those volatile states in 10 songs sometimes with humor sometimes with a melancholic approach but always with verve. He sings about travel and the difficulties in obtaining a Visa, about the country where the living is still easy, about the love of a woman, about coffee, about change and about the multifaceted society of Lebanon. This is Charbel Rouhana's first all songs album.

Biography:

Charbel Rouhana was drawn to the oud because it reflected the oriental ambience of his beloved homeland. The oud {a short-necked, half pear-shaped, plucked, instrument} is a direct ancestor of the European lute and the most popular string instrument in Middle Eastern music. Born in Amchit, Lebanon in 1965, Charbel earned a Diploma in oud performance and a MA in musicology. Author of eight books describing a next style, technique and method of playing the oud, and a teacher at USEK {The Holy-Spirit University} and at Lebanon's National Conservatory of Music.
Winner of the Murex d'Or for the year 2000 / Musician of the Year. Winner of the First Prize at the 1990 Hirayama, Japan competition for the composition "Hymn of Peace".
Charbel composed music for the choreographer Abdul Halim Caracalla's shows: "2000 and 2 Nights" [2002], "Bi Laylat Qamar" [1999], "Andalusia, the Lost Glory" [1997], and "Elissa, Queen of Carthage" [1995]. Performed in "Jadal", an oud duet composed by Marcel Khalife [1995].
Composed the overture of "Fares Bani Marwan" TV series [2004], the original music of the film "Sayedat Al-Kasr", a Misr Interational Films / Youssef Chahine & Co. production [2004], and of the film "Living Martyr", a Signature production [2000].