On olive trees & the power of music in dark times

Palestinian-Canadian pianist and composer John Kameel Farah shares how he rediscovered his creative spark

- RICHIE ASSALY

On a cold Sunday evening in January, a motley crowd of music fans, academics and kaffiyeh-wearing activists gathered at the Monarch Tavern in Little Italy for an intimate performance by John Kameel Farah.

Dark and sticky-floored, the Monarch felt like a surprising venue for the renowned Palestinian-Canadian pianist and composer, whose bold and experimental approach to classical music has made him a regular at cathedrals and prestigious concert halls across Europe.

The show marked one of the first times Farah had performed since the outbreak of Israel's offensive in Gaza, the spectre of which seemed to float suspended in the background as the audience filtered into the room.

"In dark times I am forcing myself to play a concert to try to bring myself hope and purpose, and, hopefully, bring some to you if you need," Farah had written in a caption beneath a hand-drawn poster for the gig shared on Instagram.

Sitting at a grand piano in the centre of the tavern, flanked by stacks of synthesizers, Farah embarked on two-hour musical journey that bounced between Western classical music, Middle Eastern folk songs and original compositions - each adorned with improvisational flourishes and bolstered by blaring synth loops and lurching, asymmetrical beats.

Tall and squarely built, Farah performs with an almost rapturous physicality, his body lifting slightly, as if by hydroplane, as he attacks his instruments with astonishing speed and virtuosic precision. Between songs, he stood, bowing courteously before introducing what was to come: a "Fugue in G Minor" by Bach, a reimagined Palestinian folk song, an ancient Andalusian muwashshah.

Interspersed throughout the set, he delivered a series of mini-lectures on Middle Eastern history and the deep-rooted mosaic of Palestinian identity, "stretching back to the ancient Canaanites" - subjects he says have been obscured by occidental perspectives and colonial frameworks.