31/10/2025
Wonderful long read interview with Rima Khcheich concerning the new album
English translation:
Rima Khcheich to Al-Modon: “Audience preferences do not determine my artistic choices.”
Between a forgotten heritage and a bold musical globalization, Rima Khcheich ascends — lightly and skillfully — the Eastern scales, opening her arms and her voice to the world.
She is both a guardian of tradition and an agent of innovation, a difficult balance she has mastered over decades. Now, as she prepares to release her album Ya Man Itha, a tribute to the Egyptian composer Fouad Abdel Majeed, she reaffirms this duality. The work weaves together fidelity and daring with beauty, bringing to light musical treasures that remind us of the poverty of our search and the richness of her discoveries. It invites us to reconsider the depth of our heritage and the wonder of its renewal.
The album’s works range between Muwashshahat performed for the first time in her voice and others revived in fresh arrangements. Among them stands out Ashraqa Ya Tal‘at al-Badr (“Rise, O Radiant Moon”), which she brings back into the light with a contemporary touch; Ya Ra‘i al-Dhaba, newly composed in the Hijazkar Kurdi mode; and Ya Dha al-Jamal al-Sahir (“O You of Enchanting Beauty”), rendered with a playful tango rhythm. The title track Ya Man Itha is itself a rare discovery, presented for the first time by Khcheich in the Zanjaran mode.
The Muwashshah Ya Munyati (“O My Desire”) served as the gateway to the public, released as a single ahead of the album’s full debut at the end of this month. The newspaper Al-Mudun had the privilege of an exclusive preview of some of these pieces, which only deepened curiosity and prompted a conversation with Rima Khcheich to learn more about Ya Munyati and the rest of the album.
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“Ya Munyati” is the first piece from your new album to be released. Why did you choose it as the album’s opening door? And can it be considered a mirror of its overall direction?
The album includes ten works, and in the small, intimate concerts where I first presented it, I always began with “Ya Munyati.” Even before the mixing was finished, whenever I played a few excerpts for someone, I would start with that piece. I later realized the reason was both simple and profound: I love it deeply, and it carries something spontaneous. It also introduces the four instruments that accompany me throughout the album. It resembles the album’s spirit and reveals its first contours — that’s why it seemed the most natural choice for the first single. It’s a song that’s pleasing to the ear, flowing smoothly, and conveys the atmosphere I wanted the whole album to have.
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We know Ya Munyati from Afaf Rady’s classical recording, arranged by Omar Khairat in the Egyptian 1970s style. In your version, you kept the same text and melody, but the arrangement is elusive and inventive, opening the Muwashshah to unexpected horizons. What were you trying to express? Was this a mere technical update, or a new intellectual and aesthetic reading?
It is certainly a different vision. I don’t treat arrangement as a mere technical enhancement, but as a way to rediscover the work anew. That’s why this arrangement came out open and modern, carrying something of the spirit of the French chanson. For me, “Ya Munyati” is not just an ordinary Muwashshah, but a very old and personal encounter. I first heard it in the voice of its original composer when I was thirteen — a real discovery for me. I still keep a personal recording from that evening. Since then, I’ve memorized Abdel Majeed’s songs in his own tender voice, accompanied by his friend Hamada Madkour on oud. These recordings have been with me for decades. I loved his works through his own performances long before hearing them elsewhere. So when I returned to them now, my goal wasn’t to imitate the past or simply modernize it, but to present it through a lens that reflects who I am.
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In Ya Man Itha, you dedicate an entire album to the Egyptian composer and poet Fouad Abdel Majeed — a name not often mentioned in contemporary musical memory. What does it mean for a modern artist to devote a whole work to honoring a composer from another era?
Ah, if only he were still alive… he would have been happy, perhaps. The truth is, this idea has always been part of my world — Fouad Abdel Majeed has accompanied me since my very first album until today. I’ve long wanted to create a work dedicated to him, and now the time has finally come for that tribute to reach listeners.
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Tell us more about Ya Man Itha: what details and artistic vision would you like to share about the album?
*The album consists of ten Muwashshahat by the Egyptian artist Fouad Abdel Majeed, which I had memorized in his own voice, as I mentioned earlier. Some are presented for the first time, while others have been published before. I was joined by four musicians who regularly work with me — each added their own unique spirit and touch: Maarten Ornstein on clarinet, Juan Rodriguez on piano, Tony Overwater on double bass, and Joost Lijbaart on drums. We recorded the album over just two days, playing live together. The musical arrangements were shared between Tony Overwater and Maarten Ornstein, while the young pianist Juan Rodriguez, only nineteen, arranged two of the pieces himself.
In truth, the preparation took about two full years — not only because of the project’s complexity, but also because the band was in Amsterdam while I was in Beirut. Between frequent travels and long hours of rehearsal and revision, we worked to leave our final mark on each Muwashshah, so that every piece would reach the listener in a distinctive form.*
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When Eastern works reach Western musicians through you, some cultural contrasts must appear. How do you bridge this gap so the final work has one unified soul?
Believe me, there’s no real gap to bridge — there’s a very high level of harmony between us. When I introduced them to these Eastern pieces, I felt they understood them instinctively. In fact, they’re always searching for more challenging material, such as complex, asymmetrical rhythms. This is not surprising — we’ve worked together for over twenty years. I don’t feel I’m dealing with musicians from a different cultural background, but with people who love and deeply understand Eastern music. They’re mature musicians who handle the material responsibly, preserving its authenticity and roots. In short: these are the ones who “get me.”
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Do you feel that today’s audience can still engage with this kind of dialogue with tradition?
Honestly, I don’t base my artistic choices on audience preferences, but on what I wish to convey. I know this work has a special auditory dimension, and I don’t expect everyone to listen to it — its audience may be small, but it’s deeply engaged and genuinely interested.
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The Muwashshah has accompanied your name since the beginning, as you’ve revived it in many projects. After all these years, what has the Muwashshah given to you as an artist, and what have you given it in return?
The Muwashshahat have taught me a great deal. I began singing very young and learned by ear — memorizing them out of passion, not duty. With maturity, I realized their precision and complexity. The first Muwashshah I performed was “Anta al-Mudallal,” in the Saba mode — a difficult one that few master. I sang with Salim Sahab’s ensemble, dedicated to heritage, memorizing everything they performed — my own parts, my colleagues’, and even the pieces played by my father’s group, in which he performed on the qanun. I was a child with a quick memory and a deep love for music that made learning pure joy. Later, when I entered the conservatory, I was placed directly in the fourth year, since I already knew the material from the first three. When I began producing, I realized I already had a repertoire to share. The Muwashshahat enriched me profoundly, and if I have given them anything in return, it’s bringing them to a new audience — one drawn to the way I present them.
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Today the Muwashshah seems like a ghost from another era, surrounded by a fast-moving musical world driven by digital platforms. Can this form reach a wider audience, or will it remain a unique, perhaps elitist, niche?
Appreciating a Muwashshah is difficult — it requires a deep musical culture and an ear trained to perceive beauty in its finest details. Each generation interacts with music differently, according to its own style and interests. Yet there will always be seekers — people who listen deeply, pursue these classical forms, and strive to preserve refined taste and its essence amid a fast-paced world.
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You’re seen as one of the pioneers in blending Eastern structures with Western harmony. Based on your experience, do you think the East–West binary still serves as a useful musical framework today, or has it become a limitation?
*This East–West duality shouldn’t be an obstacle. The world today is interconnected, and I have no inherently negative stance toward this openness. The real question is: does fusion serve the music or not? I always judge by the result.
Even though I consider myself a bit of a “purist,” having been raised on a high musical standard and intolerant of error in performance or composition, I believe that renewal — when done consciously and with respect for the source — can be a natural extension of tradition rather than a break from it. What disturbs taste or alienates the listener is what I reject completely, because any musical experiment, however modern, must remain faithful to its artistic essence and original spirit.*
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Let’s go deeper into how you apply this artistic vision. Ya Munyati, for example, is composed in the Nahawand mode, one of the scales most compatible with harmonic treatment. But what about other Muwashshahat built on purely Eastern modes, like Hijaz, Sikah, or Saba? Can these modes be adapted the same way, or do they resist and demand a return to their original logic?
*This debate depends on many factors. First, it’s important to remember that the Muwashshah by nature allows greater room for musical “play” than the dawr or qasida, which are stricter in form. So the freedom margin depends on the original melody and the arranger’s vision. Even with purely Eastern modes, an arranger can find a path to modern harmony — as long as the essence of the mode is preserved and the core melody remains intact. Some experiments change the mode itself to fit an arrangement — I consider that an artistic crime. In Arabic music, the mode (maqam) is a living being, with its own mood, emotion, and environment. Any development must emerge from within it, not be imposed from outside.
Arabic music is inherently rich in ornamentation and modal transitions, with immense expressive power. I never stray from the Muwashshah’s spirit — even if the arrangement or accompaniment changes, its essence remains at the heart of the experience.
Returning to the album, Fouad Abdel Majeed was strongly drawn to the Kurd and Nahawand modes, and most of his Muwashshahat revolve around them — making them more adaptable to contemporary arrangements. The earlier pieces I worked on, especially in my album Hawa, were more challenging, as they were built on purely Eastern logic and often performed with minimal accompaniment.*
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This album took two years of preparation, research, selection, and recording. After such an effort, will we have to wait long for new work from you, or has this experience rekindled your appetite to return more quickly?
The wait won’t be long. There’s another album already in preparation — a new collaboration with Rabih Mroué, including works by the poet Hassan Abdullah. Two songs have already been composed, and we’ll record them soon. The album Ya Man Itha will also be released as a physical CD in the spring, followed by renewed artistic activity and future concerts.
https://www.almodon.com/culture/2025/10/30/%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%AE%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D9%84%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%86-%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%B6%D9%8A%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%84%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%91%D8%AF-%D8%AE%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%8A?fbclid=IwZnRzaANxkcxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHs8CXahkJMIHpGfchTjaWLWdCft2o3__RcflzbO2bKAiUp8BBOhiZXPlryFz_aem_U4KT5W_BWAN1gLcnJzRllg
ثنائية الشرق والغرب لا تشكل عائقًا. العالم اليوم مفتوح على بعضه، وليس لدي موقف سلبي بالمطلق تجاه هذا الانفتاح. السؤال الحقيقي هو: هل خدم التهجين العمل أم لا
