Following the success of Symphonies of the Self concert inspired by the works of Majeed Marhoon, Weekender gets up close & personal with the mastermind who made the concert come to life!
Hassan Hujairi is known to be a competent composer, sound artist and independent researcher with an interest in historiography and ethnomusicology. He has presented his sound art performances in different places abroad like Seoul, Tokyo, London, Glasgow, Amsterdam, New York, Beirut and has been very much involved in the art and culture scenes of Bahrain. Bahrain’s cultural talents are enriched with the determination and passion that Hassan Hujairi has to offer. We learned more:
W. What got you here and how did you find yourself in this project collaborating with others?
Hassan: This project was originally my idea a while ago, I spoke to Red Bull about it and they were enthusiastic about the idea of trying to bring back Majeed Marhoon’s music by presenting it in a new way in an exciting kind of concert. The reason this came to mind was because I am currently doing my PhD in Seoul National University in South Korea, and I was asked about composed classical music in Bahrain and immediately the first thing that comes to mind is Majeed Marhoon for me.
W.Majeed Marhoon’s legacy came back to life again. How important is he as an icon in the music scene of Bahrain?
Hassan: I genuinely believe that Majeed Marhoon’s music is extremely important for the history of Bahrain’s music, I think we’re still in the process of digging up his music like an archaeological excavation, we’re only beginning to understand his work right now because we’re basically looking through his notes and talking to his friends and everyone he had worked with. We’re trying to piece together his music, his legacy and approach to music.
W.How important is it for you to bring this to life and make it happen?
Hassan: When musicians in Bahrain are not aware of important local composers and musicians, you don’t have an awareness of what’s happening here. Hence now aspiring artists can learn from the experiences of Majeed Marhoon. I hope it inspires current and future generations of musicians, composers and artists to try harder and do a really good job despite their current circumstances. I really hope it will encourage people to look into Bahraini art, Bahraini music, and Bahraini culture and aspire to become a part of it.
W. What were the major challenges you faced in bringing all of this together?
Hassan: Mainly it has been a pleasure ; many people including the foreign artists immediately understood the message and the meaning of the music. They all enjoyed it. It’s just been a challenge because there are so many different people involved - including his family, closest friends, and collaborators, who were all committed to bringing it out in the same colors and vision. And so getting to see people involved in a project here in Bahrain is a challenge logistically but it’s also very exciting to see something like this happen. I really hope this type of project changes the culture of music collaboration and creating cultural projects in Bahrain, so that in the future there would be more collaborations within Bahrain. I was extremely pleased that Majeed Marhoon’s family enjoyed the concert as well.
W.What are you currently working on your PhD research?
Hassan: I am doing my PhD research in Composition focusing on Korean traditional music and the reason I chose Korean traditional music is because I think if I can approach a completely foreign form of traditional music as a foreigner and understand it by trying new things with it, it will teach me how to approach traditional music from the Middle east and Bahrain as well. Originally I was an Oud player; I need a little bit of push to think outside the box and to find new ways of understanding what is the meaning of tradition and what is the meaning of contemporary music so I’m doing it mainly as a vehicle to think again about how I approach traditional music and contemporary music.
W.What does Hassan Hujairi have in store for us next?
Hassan:It’s a work in progress being a composer and musician, its constant research for me. I’m almost finished with my degree, and then I just want to focus really hard on music. I have a few ideas of what I’d like to do next and we’ll see.
