Ghazi Mikdashi - Suite No. 1 “Journey”
Ghazi Mikdashi is a composer from Beirut, Lebanon. His music career began in the 1960’s and his deep portfolio includes a wide spectrum including children's music, musicals and plays, and oriental and contemporary classical music. His style is quite unique and emotive, making it easily recognizable and memorable. Today we take a listen to Ghazi Mikdashi’s Suite No. 1 “Journey”.
Suite No. 1 “Journey” is a five-part suite featuring a total runtime just shy of fifteen minutes. The “Journey” begins with part one, “Fada”, which is a deeply peaceful track, filled with quite a bit of bliss; the melodic choices here are incredibly inviting and make for a beautiful introduction to this suite and thematically feels like the beginning of a long journey. Part two of “Journey” is “Dolala; the progression here is very expressive, creating a balance between a happy and adventurous vibe as well as caution-encouraging energy through the use of a shift between major and minor chords. These first two tracks capture the spirit of adventure while also warning of the possibility of bad things to come.
Part three of the Suite is “Tasma”, which feels like a precarious moment during the titular “journey”; the danger here is real and quite foreboding. Part four, “Domano”, doubles down on the dreary, dark feelings of “Dolala” and “Tasma”, making one wonder if this truly is the end of the “journey” we are on. Through part five, “Nahawand”, the thematic remains relatively the same, though there is a stronger feeling of resolve and determination that leaves the result somewhat open-ended: was the journey successful? Is there more to the story that we do not yet know? Suite No. 1 “Journey” truly captures deep and meaningful emotions in a wonderful and explorative way.
“Journey” is an excellent suite that really shows off Ghazi Mikdashi’s ability to capture emotions in his music; he masterfully captures both the spirit of adventure and the grim, bitter feelings of defeat in this suite. It is easy to feel the years of experience that Ghazi Mikdashi brings through his music and it truly is a one-of-a-kind experience to listen through this wonderful suite; although my perception was of a dark and long journey, yours could very well be something different - which is the beauty of this wonderful suite, I feel like the music is emotive in a way that empowers the listener to create vivid mental images of what Ghazi Mikdashi is illustrating through his music. As always, we have Suite No. 1 “Journey” embedded below for your listening pleasure - check it out and enjoy!
