Oslo World Music Festival

A Lebanese legend opens Oslo World. The Lebanese oud player, singer, and composer Marcel Khalife is a folk hero in the Arab world. With a career spanning six decades, he has combined effortless mastery of his instrument with political outspokenness and poetry. When he first set the words of the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish to music, he had no idea it was the prelude to a meeting that would forge a deep and enduring friendship between the two men a few years later---even as the songs themselves resonated across the globe. Promises of the Storm was influenced by Arab-Andalusian traditions and contemporary Middle Eastern politics. Channeling the poetry by Dahrwish and his Palestinian compatriot Izzidine Al Munassrah, Khalifé sung in colloquial Arabic. It was his way of dignifying the common people. The album became iconic in the Arab community and beyond, and to mark the fiftieth anniversary, Marcel Khalife has re-recorded it as a solo project. To have Marcel Khalife opening our festival has been a dream for many years. We are proud to present him this year, in a format stripped down to its bare essential: his magnificently seasoned tenor voice accompanied solely by his most faithful companion, the oud. After the concert in the Chateau Neuf Auditorium, the Swiss/Moroccan multi-instrumentalist Sami Galbi will play at Betong, where the opening party continues. All tickets for Marcel Khalife automatically include entry to Sami Galbi's concert at Betong later that night.

Futuristic North African dance party. The Swiss and Moroccan multi-instrumentalist and producer Sami Galbi draws on the music of his childhood, which he rediscovered as an adult in the Cabarets of Casablanca: raï and chaâbi music, interpreted in Galbi's own way, with analog machines, guitar effects and synthesizer. He has emerged from the alternative scenes of Switzerland in recent years, drawing on parallel musical influences such as US hip-hop, UK bass, house and Afro-Caribbean dance music. The North African folk music of his childhood is modulated, given pop texture and a dense club atmosphere. On his debut album, YLH BYE BYE, the listener is immersed in a rich poetic where Sami Galbi's storytelling unfolds through hypnotic refrains and soaring melodies. Entirely produced by the artist, the music was mixed by Tunisian producer Ammar 808. In concert, Sami Galbi delivers high energy performances, well suited for the opening party of this years Oslo World. All tickets for the opening concert by Marcel Khalife at Chateau Neuf automatically include entry to Sami Galbi's concert at Betong later that night.