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Hayeli: Home
ByIt is telling that the opening music of "Home" is local bird song, as this album celebrates place, belonging and essence. Field recordings of nature pepper the setyin to the music's yang. Owl calls accompany Khalifé's wordless vocals and Roy's viola churn on "Petit Accent," a folksy immersion of timeless feel; chirping birds gently usher in "Current Situation," where her wordless vocals soar over multi-part choral waves and a rich tapestry of plucked strings and bowed legato lines. And while it may be tempting to interpret the minute of canine howling and barking that constitutes "Chacal" as an allegory for political predators, it could just as easily celebrate free spirits everywhere represented by Lebanon's roaming jackals.
In the bowed playingpresent on every trackKhalifé's and Savzyan's classical influences shine. While bass pulses and probing lines are abundant, it is the arco work, whether paired with plucked textures or in harmonized interplay, that tends to dominate. Overlapping arco drones, trilling and sawing techniques take precedence over extended solos, though Sary Khalifé's emotive cello improvisation on the Arabic-sung "Saffara"based on a poem by the renowned Lebanese poet Mohamad Al Abdallais a delight.
Only "This Is What Happened" is devoid of vocalsa brief but deeply lyrical exchange where the separate plucked and arco identities are heard to the clearest effect. Poetry, a central passion of Khalifé's, shapes "Then Why Do We Persist," an experimental-sounding mixture of spoken-word and song. Similarly, "Marcus Aurelius," Khalifé's recitation of the Roman emperor's Stoic philosophy, poetically explores the sovereign self and the value of self-reflection. Aurelius' meditation on our oneness with nature is echoed in the final track, "Wholeness," where fluty owl cries and cicada pulses merge with the harmonious entwining of bass lines and the duo's lilting wordless song. The birds, fittingly, have the final say.
From Socrates onwards, the idea of home has ignited philosophical reflectionfamily, house, environment, country, freedom to or from. But perhaps, for Khalifé and Savzyan, home is in the act of making music. A highly personal and stimulating collaboration, Hayeli sings to individuality, unity and freedom.
Track Listing
Home; Saffara; Petit accent; Awakening; Current situation; Chacals; The day after; This is what happened; Process; Then why do we persist (to G.M.); Marcus Aurelius; Wholeness.
Personnel
Khachatur Savzyan
bass, acousticDonna Khalife
bass, acousticAdditional Instrumentation
Donna Khalifé: vocals; Khachatur Savzyan: vocals; Guillaume Roy: viola (2-3, 5, 7-11); Sary Khalifé: cello (2, 5, 7).
Album information
Title: Home | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Self Produced
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